| Type: | Polynesian |
| Kaitangata | |
| Symbols: | --> |
| Consort: | Whaitiri |
| Parents: | Māui or Rehua |
| Offspring: | Hemā |
| Gender: | Male |
| Region: | New Zealand |
| Ethnic Group: | Māori |
In Māori mythology, Kaitangata is either a mortal son of Māui, or a son of star-god Rehua.
Kaitangata, the son of Māui, is an industrious man who married the female supernatural being Whaitiri. Due to his name, Kaitangata means man-eater, Whaitiri believed him to be a cannibal as she was. However this proved to be incorrect and she eventually left him because he offended her. Before she returned to heaven as a cloud, she taught Kaitangata how to fish. With Whaitiri, he was the father of Hemā.