Where does “Matawhero” come from?

Matawhero (Maori) comes from Maori mata, from Polynesian *mata.

Ancestry of “Matawhero”, step by step

Matawhero traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Maori mata

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Maorimataraw; eye
2Polynesian*mata—

via Maori whero

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Maoriwhero—
Every word from Polynesian *mata →Every word from Maori mata →