The Maori name is reputed to commemorate an incident occurring after the arrival of the "Mataatua". The men had gone ashore and the canoe began to drift. Wairaka, a chieftainess, said ""Kia whakatāne au i ahau"" ("I will act like a man"), and commenced to paddle – something that women were not allowed to do. With the help of the other women, the canoe was saved. Wairaka's efforts are commemorated by a bronze statue of her at the mouth of the Whakatāne River, which was installed in 1965.