Pōrangahau, a township close to the Pacific Ocean coast in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, has a very small population. It lies in the southernmost part of Hawke's Bay, 45 kilometres south of Waipukurau, and close to the mouth of the Porangahau River. There settlement includes a marae and a school. The Māori name Pōrangahau expresses the idea of a night (pō) of pursuit or of retreat (rangahau).