Former All Blacks halfback TJ Perenara has scored two tries to equal the tournament's all-time tryscoring record as the Hurricanes beat the Chiefs 36-23 to stay unbeaten through eight rounds of Super Rugby Pacific.

Peranara scored in the 17th minute on Saturday as the hosts used an overwhelming scrum advantage early to build a 17-7 lead and again in the 58th minute, after the Chiefs had rallied to go ahead 23-17.

The Hurricanes produced a typically two-faced performance. When they were ascendant behind their scrum in the first half they were polished and clinical. Perenara and back-rower Brayden Iose both scored from the scrum platform.

But when the Chiefs rallied, obtaining more possession and applying pressure, the Hurricanes looked stretched.

Conceding penalties and turning over possession with bad passes, the Chiefs scored a try through No.9 Cortez Ratima and then closed the gap further with penalties to Damian McKenzie, even with winger Emoni Narawa in the sin bin.

Again at the start of the second half, the Chiefs looked more composed and advanced the ball well through one-off runners, occasionally using offloads to stretch the defence and with McKenzie kicking effectively.

Back from the sin bin, Narawa scored the Chiefs' second try and gave them six-point lead.

The tide switched again and the Hurricanes won back the lead through Perenara who drew level with former Hurricanes winger Julian Savea on 62 career tries.

Fellow winger Kini Naholo scored at the end of a sweeping movement of more than a dozen phases. And hooker Asafo Aumua, whose bruising ball-carrying had been a feature of the match, brushed off one tackler and carried three more over the line to score the Hurricanes' fourth try.

"It's pretty obvious our discipline at times put us at the wrong end of the field and the Chiefs are a good team and will capitalise on that," Hurricanes captain Brad Shields said.

"I'm pretty happy with the way we defended at times and our bench came on and changed the game for us.

"A couple of key moments that we executed really well put us in a good spot to win."