Rākei-hikuroa was a rangatira (chieftain) of Ngāti Kahungunu, who may have lived in the fifteenth century. His efforts to establish his son Tūpurupuru as upoko ariki (paramount chief) of Ngāti Kahungunu led to a conflict with his brother-in-law, Kahutapere, who expelled him from the Gisborne region, which was the start of a long-lasting conflict within Ngāti Kahungunu. After his expulsion, Rākei-hikuroa led his people south, beginning the Ngāti Kahungunu expansion into the Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa regions.