The purpose of this thesis is to construct a hapū (sub-tribal) development model that is based on the critical analysis and interpretation of a prophecy articulated by Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki in 1886. This prophecy, known as Te Umutaoroa (the slow cooking earth oven), was a response to land loss at Te Houhi. This prophecy is significant to Patuheuheu, Ngāti Haka (two sub-tribes of the Tūhoe tribe), Ngāti Manawa and Ngāti Whare (two closely related tribes) as these groups lived together at Te Houhi. This research is intended to be a contribution to hapū development and possibly a template for other Māori and Indigenous groups who wish to use their own philosophies and prophecies to inform their development. This research is anchored within Patuheuheu identity, whakapapa (genealogy) and epistemology and is written exclusively from that perspective.