Following the Crown's attacks on Tainui during the early 1860s ordered by Governor Grey, various elements of Mataatua and Tairawhiti sought to lend assistance by sending an army of some eight hundred men in support of Tainui's efforts against the Crown.  However, this Tairawhiti army was blocked at Maketu by a force of Te Arawa which was later supported by two government gunboats.  At that particular battle, the battle of Te Kaokaoroa, Te Hura Te Taiwhakaripi, a chief of Ngai Te Rangihouhiri later told of now his hapu had lost over 30 men.  Ngati Hikakino also suffered a significant number of casualties in that battle.  Many were eventually buried along the coast at Matata.  This land, including an urupa, was subsequently awarded to hapu of Te Arawa.  Some of these hapu still hold this land today.  The Tairawhiti force which included elements of the three hapu was repulsed and halted from advancing over an aukati that Te Arawa had established.  It is important to note that the aukati was laid down at Maketu and not at Otamarakau.  Later this fact would assume some significance as Ngati Awa attempted to reclaim its territories following the raupatu through the compensation court.  

Following this sometime later, a hui or runanga was held at Tauaroa Marae near Matata following the arrival of Horomona, a prophetic leader from Taranaki.  Horomona was a convert of Te Ua Hamene, founder of Paimarire.  That meeting was attended by many chiefs of Ngati Awa including Te Hura, Hawera Te Hihira, Hoani Poururu, Tikitu, Tamihana and others.  It was resolved at the hui that an aukati be established to preserve the tino rangatiratanga of Ngati Awa and keep others, particularly Te Arawa, out of Ngati Awa territory. Then on 22 July 1865 a ship called the "Kate" carrying James Fulloon, an agent of the Crown and a relative of the chief Apanui Hamaiwaho and a descendant of Te Mautaranui, and others sailed up the Whakatane river crossing the aukati.  Fulloon was at that time in the service of the Crown as he believed in the power of the Settler Government and was ever willing to act on the Crown's behalf.  Unsurprisingly, Ngati Awa viewed him as a puppet of the Settler Government and contemptuously referred to him as "The Parliament of England". 

Wepiha provided an interesting proposition when he put forward the view that Te Hura and Ngai Te Rangihouhiri had killed Fulloon because the latter was a Ngati Hokopu.  Wepiha said that this might have been because Te Hura’s father, Te Taiwhakaripi had been killed by Ngati Hokopu.  Wepiha reiterated however, that these were his own idea as and that Te Hura had not told him anything about that himself. 

With most of the traditional hapu leadership removed at a single stroke, others soon had to assume leadership.  One such person was Wiremu Te Whatapapa of Te Patutatahi.   He had been a member of the Runanga system established by Grey before the war and was encouraged into positions of authority by Te Rangitukehu.  With the removal of the Te Hura and his brother Hepeta, leadership of Ngai Te Rangihouhiri fell on their younger brother, Te Metera Te Ti.  During the 1880s, Te Metera sought to keep the hapu together and this is evident throughout this period as he took the initiative of ensuring that Ngai Te Rangihouhiri members used is the Native Land Court system to succeed to their respective lands.  This was without doubt an extremely difficult time for the hapu who attempted to hold their communities together in the face of the relentless onslaught of the Crown against them.  They had to contend with the stigma of being branded "tangata hara" because of the death of Fulloon and the so called rebellion against the Crown.  

Then following their gradual release in the mid-1870s, several grants of land were made to the chiefs of the three hapu.  These were effected principally by the Whakatane Grants Validation Act 1878. By that Act the Rangitaiki 28 Block comprising some 2,500 acres was vested in Apanui Hamaiwaho, Wepiha Apanui and Hawera Te Hihira in trust for the benefit of Ngati Awa ki Whakatane.  It is from this land that most of the present day titles in the Paroa district are derived from.  The only other land block of any significance awarded to members of the three hapu during this period was Rangitaiki 31P Block, today known as the Kiwinui Trust comprising some 4,000 acres.  However, this block is not solely owned by the three hapu who hold some 40% of the shares in the Kiwinui Block.  The only other lands granted to the hapu, specifically Ngai Te Rangihouhiri were the Matata blocks lot 100, 101 and 102 in 1905 comprising in total some 50 acres.  This land had originally comprised 270 acres but was later taken by the Crown through the various versions of the Public Works Act. As stated previously, the hapu received land grants from the Crown during the period 1878 to 1905.  Most of this was contained in the Rangitaiki 28 and 31 blocks along with smaller pieces scattered throughout the district. 

A block of some historical interest to the hapu was Waimana 266B.  This block was granted by Sir Donald Maclean to the prisoners on their return to Whakatane.  Maclean had promised the chiefs and warriors a site of 100 acres to be located in then developing Whakatane town near Kopeopeo.  This block is located in present day Landing Road, Eivers Road and Hawera Street.  Maclean and Brabant, the Resident Magistrate at Whakatane, refused to honour the original promise and eventually only provided the hapu with a site of some 58 acres.  Some of this land was then taken for the cemetery in Domain Road and other parts of it were acquired by the local council for public works.  In 1964 a Trust was established over the land to facilitate the sale of the land for the payment of outstanding rates.  During the period 1967 to 1987, the land was eventually sold by the trustees.  Today only a minute fraction of this block remains in Maori hands.    

The hapu members also claimed their ancestral lands at Rangitaiki and Matahina and in these efforts they were only partially successful.  In 1895 Oke Pukeroa, brother of Wiremu Te Whatapapa and father of Hohapata Oke, led the combined hapu claim to the Omataroa blocks that had been previously awarded to Rangitaiki hapu including Pahipoto, Ngai Tamawera and Nga Maihi.  Oke claimed that he and other members of the hapu listed on the Omataroa title had lived at Omataroa and had cultivations there.  He told the court that they would travel regularly between Omataroa and Otamauru and that they had occupied this area for many generations previously. Indeed, Oke said that Hira Kanawa (Hira Kingi) was involved in a cattle dispute that had to be settled by the local court while he was at Omataroa.  Oke then proceeded to give the court a comprehensive whakapapa linking himself and his relations to Tuteao and other Nga Maihi ancestors.  

But it was the Nga Maihi chief, Penetito Hawea who led the opposition to Oke’s claim and succeeded in having Kereti Hawera, Hunia Marupo, Hira Kanawa, Hiriweteri Kanawa, Wineti Kanawa, Te Ratahi Parakau, Kereua Te Whatapapa, Hipirini Wharekauri, Te Retimana Hemana, Tiaki Tupara, Hoani Poururu, Te Hemara Tukairangi, Huruhuru Oke and Hohapata Oke removed from the Omataroa list of owners.  He claimed that Oke and his hapu were related to Nga Maihi but only very distantly.  Penetito had been a youth of 19 years when he had been incarcerated with Te Hura and the other chiefs at Mt Eden Prison in 1865.  

However, in his claims to the Matahina lands, Oke was more successful.  He told that court that the hapu had cultivations at Matahina, that they hunted in the Matahina forest and would fell trees for building purposes.  Oke gave the court an example of his father Pukeroa travelling into the forest with Ngarangikatuku to fell a tree to build a war canoe.  The canoe was named Umutaoroa.  After the canoe was complete Oke said they dragged it out of the forest at Otipa.  When they had reached the clearing out of the forest, Oke says Ngarangikatuku died.  Ngarangikatuku was also known as Ropi.  He was brother to Parakau and Wiremu and grandfather of Anahera, Hira, Hiriweteri, Wineti and Pona Kanawa.   What remnants of land the hapu had in their possession were further reduced by the local council and the Crown for public works.  This continual encroachment on the remaining hapu lands has served only but to fuel the smouldering resentment that the hapu have towards these authorities for the continued and continual attempts at alienation of their lands.  This resentment is as strong today as it ever was.   It was during this period that the two marae Te Rangihouhiri and Puawairua were reconstructed to sit at Otamauru with Taiwhakaea.  The upheaval caused by the raupatu forced the three hapu together at Otamauru.