(c. 1750–c. 1820).

Ngati Tuwharetoa chief.

A new biography of Te Heuheu Tukino I, Herea appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

Herea was born about the middle of the eighteenth century and was the son of Tukino, chief of the Ngati Turumakina branch of Ngati Tuwharetoa, by his wife, Parewairere. Through his mother he was closely related to the powerful chiefs of the Ngati Maniapoto and Waikato tribes. He distinguished himself in the wars against the Tuhoe in the latter part of the century and, shortly after these, when Te Rangituamatotoru died, Herea became one of the three contenders for the paramount chieftaincy of the tribe. It was the custom with Ngati Tuwharetoa to select the paramount chief and war leader from a panel of the high-born men of the tribe. The post was not usually hereditary, but was conferred on the most suitable man irrespective of seniority. At this time the Ngati Tuwharetoa chiefs had to face a special problem. In addition to maintaining the existing friendly relations with their northern and western neighbours – the Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Maniapoto, and Waikato tribes – they realised that Ngati Tuwharetoa was beginning to resolve itself into two divisions, those branches living to the east and west of Lake Taupo. The logical choice to prevent this split developing further appeared to be Te Wakaiti, the chief of Ngati Manunui sub-branch. Te Wakaiti, however, was an arrogant man who considered that the paramountcy was his as of right and he chose to act accordingly. In order to emphasise his power, he decided to kill the senior hereditary ariki of the tribe when the latter attended the installation ceremonies. When news of this plot reached the ariki, the chiefs immediately offered the leadership to Herea.

Herea knew that, according to tribal custom, he would be challenged by Te Wakaiti before he could assume the paramountcy. As his adversary was widely renowned for his skill with the pouwhenua – a sharp-pointed wooden weapon – Herea did not accept the honour until after he had studied this weapon under a celebrated Maniapoto exponent. On his return to Taupo he met and defeated Te Wakaiti in an exciting combat which has passed into tribal folklore. Herea's victory confirmed him as paramount chief, but his power was by no means undisputed because several hapus, who were closely related to the Ngati Raukawa, distrusted his Ngati Maniapoto lineage and loyalties.

For many years Herea ruled wisely over the Ngati Tuwharetoa. He lived at Waitahanui, the fortified pa at the mouth of the Tongariro River. The precise date of his death is not recorded. John Grace says that it was about the time when the Ngapuhis “had heard of the exploits of Napoleon and Wellington and were obsessed with the idea of planning war on a large scale”. This would put it about 1820, following Hongi's return from England.

For a short time after Herea's death the various hapus of Ngati Tuwharetoa sought to rule themselves independently. This soon led to a similar situation to that which had existed after the death of Te Rangituamatotoru. This time, however, Herea's son, Te Heuheu Mananui, the one outstanding Tuwharetoa chief of his day, was selected to succeed his father as paramount chief.

The family name Te Heuheu derives from an incident which happened in Herea's time. It is recorded that when Herea was once on a journey to collect a relative's remains for burial in Tuwharetoa territory, his party found their previous burial place so overgrown with maheuheu, a small shrub, that they had great difficulty in recovering them. In memory of this incident, Herea's wife called her son Te Heuheu. After his elevation to the paramount chieftainship, Herea himself became widely known as Rangi-maheuheu. Since then the name, Te Heuheu, has been borne by every member of his family who has ruled the Ngati Tuwharetoa. Because of the confusion thus caused, other tribes and some historians have used roman numerals to distinguish among them. In this system Herea is known as Te Heuheu Tukino I.

by Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.

• Tuwharetoa, Grace, J. te H. (1959).

This species, Egretta alba, though a rarity in New Zealand, is widely distributed and frequently abundant in many other countries. The local sub-species is also found from Australia to India. The New Zealand population is little more than a permanent beachhead established in the relatively recent past by birds wind-carried from the considerable population in eastern Australia. In this country only one breeding station is known and this was discovered in 1865 on the banks of the Waitangiroto Stream near Okarito in Westland. Here, up to about 20 pairs nest annually and later disperse with their young to perhaps as far north as Parengarenga Harbour and as far south as Stewart Island. In some years extra birds are carried over from Australia and temporarily swell the minute local population. Kotuku may then appear even on the Chathams and sub-Antarctic islands further south.

Their usual habitats are lake shallows, swamps, estuaries, and lagoons, where they wade gracefully about on their long legs (the birds stand about 3 ft high) searching for small fish which they impale with rapid and well-directed lunges of their sinuous necks and long-pointed bills. Few fishermen are more careful and patient than are the stalking kotuku. Shrimps, insects, and even small birds are also eaten.

In flight they retract their necks, trail their legs, and beat their wings with stately deliberateness. The plumage of both sexes is brilliant white, legs are black, and eye and bill yellow, except in the breeding season when the bill also becomes black. At this time there are fine dorsal plumes for which the species was once exploited. The voice is an unattractive croak.

Nest platforms are made of sticks and often overhang the water. A clutch consists of three to four pale-blue eggs. The young are ready to fly about six weeks after hatching. Kotuku have figured prominently in Maori legend as exemplars of rarity, grace, and beauty, and as inhabitants of the spirit world.

by Gordon Roy Williams, B.SC.(HONS.)(SYDNEY), Lecturer in Agricultural Zoology, Lincoln Agricultural College.

(1888– ).

Emeritus professor of medicine.

A new biography of Hercus, Charles Ernest appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

Charles Ernest Hercus was born in Dunedin on 13 June 1888 and educated first at Christ-church Boys' High School and later at Otago University where he qualified in dentistry and then in medicine. In the First World War he served with the New Zealand Forces at Gallipoli and in Palestine and was mentioned in dispatches on five occasions. He was professor of bacteriology and preventive medicine at Otago University from 1922 to 1959 and dean of the Medical School from 1937 to 1959. Sir Charles has held several distinguished appointments, viz., on the Board of Health, the Town Planning Board, the Medical Research Council, the Dental Council, the Council of Physical Education, and the Council of Otago University. He has published extensively in the subjects in which he has specialised, and is now emeritus professor. He was knighted in 1947.

In 1917 he received the D.S.O. and in 1919 was awarded the O.B.E. In 1964, in conjunction with Sir Francis Gordon Bell, he published The Otago Medical School Under the First Three Deans.

(1888–1963).

Company director.

A new biography of Henry, David appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

David Henry was born at Juniper Green, Midlothian, Scotland, on 24 November 1888, the son of Robert Henry, a builder and stonemason, and Agnes, née Stevenson. After being educated at Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh, he served his apprenticeship in the papermaking business at the Kinleith mill on the Water of Leith in Scotland. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1907 and became associated with the sheetmetal and exotic timber industries, first as a commercial traveller and, latterly, as a company director. In 1920 Henry and his brother-in-law moved to Auckland from Christchurch, where they had started an engineering business, and founded the sheetmetal firm of D. Henry and Co. Ltd. at Freemans Bay. In 1934, following the Government inquiry into the south Waikato afforestation promotion schemes, Henry emerged as one of the first directors of New Zealand Forest Products Ltd., the company formed to protect private investors' interests. He became chairman of directors in 1936 and managing director two years later. In this connection he had the difficult task of negotiating the complicated financial settlement with New Zealand Perpetual Forests Ltd., the company which had originally been interested in the afforestation schemes. After these negotiations were concluded, Henry studied the economics of timber utilisation and arranged his company's capital to ensure that sufficient money would be available for establishing forest industries and undertaking the necessary research. He visited similar industries overseas to investigate manufacturing and marketing problems in British, North American, and Scandinavian pulp and paper mills. He also arranged for a trial shipment of logs from Atiamuri to be tested and processed in a Swedish fibreboard mill. These tests proved the suitability of New Zealand radiata pine for wallboard. In addition to solving these technical problems, Henry fought a protracted battle with politicians and Government Departments for licences to import the necessary heavy machinery and to obtain the rights to establish the new industries. In 1941 the company opened its first wall-board factory in Penrose, Auckland. By the end of 1952 he was able to tell his 53,000 shareholders that the company had successfully weathered its worst pioneering problems and that, for the first time in its history, the investors would receive a dividend. In 1954 Henry received a knighthood for his services towards establishing the exotic forest industries in New Zealand. Since 1948, when the company began its large-scale timber exploitation based on the Kinleith mill, New Zealand Forest Products Ltd. has become one of the largest industrial concerns in New Zealand, with forest areas totalling 250,000 acres and assets estimated to be worth £26 million. The town of Tokoroa, where the company's headquarters are located, is largely a monument to Henry's enterprise.

On 28 April 1915, at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Claudelands, Hamilton, Henry married Mary Castleton Osborne (who died 3 March 1953), daughter of Thomas Osborne. At the same church, on 24 November 1955, he married Dorothy May Osborne, who was his first wife's sister. There was one daughter by his first marriage. Sir David died at 23 Stilwell Road, Mount Albert, Auckland, on 20 August 1963.

In 1956 Sir David endowed the David Henry Scholarship for forestry students, the first award being made the following year. He has also created a substantial trust in favour of the Auckland Presbyterian Orphanages and Social Services Association.

by Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.

• Forestry News, Vol. 13, Sep 1963 (Obit)
• New Zealand Herald, 21 Aug 1963 (Obit)
• Dominion, 21 Aug 1963 (Obit).

Hemlock, Conium maculatum, is a tall, foetid, biennial herb of the family Umbelliferae (commonly known as the carrot family). Stems of flowering plants are 3–6 ft tall, branched, furrowed, hollow, and usually purple-flecked or spotted. The carrotlike, finely-divided leaves are on long, hollow, purple-spotted stalks. Masses of small white flowers are borne in umbels. Hemlock is abundant throughout New Zealand and is mostly found in waste places, on roadsides and banks of streams, in shaded places, and frequently in home gardens.

Hemlock was recognised as poisonous in earliest times and is not only associated with the death of Socrates, but also with animal poisonings, and, in particular, poisonings in children. Children, who do not seem deterred by its unpleasant mousy-smell, are known to use the hollow stems as “pea shooters” or whistles, to mistake the leaves for parsley, to chew the seeds, and, in at least one case, to use hemlock as make-believe vegetables. The whole of the plant, including the parsnip-like taproot, is poisonous, the seeds being especially so.

Toxic volatile alkaloids are present throughout the plant and produce in man the well-known symptoms of general and gradual weakening of muscular power, and, in lethal doses, death results from gradual paralysis. Loss of sight may occur.

All classes of livestock have been poisoned by hemlock and it is thought that these poisonings are more frequent in the spring.

by Henry Eamonn Connor, M.SC., Botany Division, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Lincoln.

(Xenophalium pyrum).

This fish has a handsome smooth shell, 2–2 ½ in. in height, pale yellowish-brown to pinkish, with a row of small knobs around the shoulder. The animal has a horny operculum shaped like an open fan. They live in sand on open beaches from shallow water to a depth of about 50 fm. They are often seen on Ninety Mile Beach, Bay of Plenty, Port Waikato, and Waikanae.

by Arthur William Baden Powell, Assistant Director, Auckland Institute and Museum.

Helensville is located on a hillside above the Kaipara River at the southern end of the Kaipara Harbour. The town is 38 miles north-west of Auckland by rail and 30 miles by road.

Helensville is a shopping and servicing centre for a widely scattered rural population engaged in dairying and sheep farming. A dairy factory in the town produces dried milk powder and cheese. Other industries include general engineering, the manufacture of concrete products, and sawmilling. At Parakai, 2 miles north of Helensville, is the attractive Helensville Hot Springs Domain.

Helensville came into being in 1863 as a port associated with the kauri timber trade. For many years it was the headquarters for a steamship service running to Dargaville and to several lesser ports around the shores of the Kaipara Harbour. The decline of the timber trade, improved roads, and the extension of the railway to Dargaville led to the termination of trans-harbour shipping services in 1940. Helensville was named after Mrs Helen McLeod, wife of an early settler. In 1883 it was constituted a town district, and in 1947 was accorded borough status.

POPULATION: 1951 census, 1,110; 1956 census, 1,151; 1961 census, 1,215.

by Brian Newton Davis, M.A., Vicar, St. Philips, Karori West, Wellington and Edward Stewart Dollimore, Research Officer, Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington.

(1810?–50).

Ngapuhi chief.

A new biography of Heke Pokai, Hone Wiremu appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

Hone Heke was the son of Kau (brother of the chief Pokai), and of Tupanapana. He was a nephew of Hongi Hika and could thus trace his ancestry back to the original Arawa canoe from Hawaiki. Heke married Ono (baptised Lydia), the daughter of Pehii. About this time Heke was himself baptised at Paihia by Henry Williams, taking the name John (Hone). During Lydia's lifetime Heke led a quiet and studious life, but after her death he increased his mana by marrying his cousin Hariata (Harriet), the daughter of Hongi Hika.

As a young warrior Heke distinguished himself in battle at Kororareka in 1830 and again at Tauranga in 1833. He was wounded in this latter skirmish and had to be taken back to the Bay of Islands. He fought Pomare in 1837, narrowly avoiding capture. Heke then returned to Kaikohe, where he levied a toll on travellers. He further increased his mana by assisting Porirua against Parakaraeo. Parakaraeo had sold to the Government a piece of land which Heke's and Porirua's relatives claimed. In the ensuing skirmish Parakaraeo was routed.

Although Heke was one of the first and most influential chiefs to sign the Treaty of Waitangi, he was annoyed to find that his revenue from the whaling ships was being diverted to the Crown and that his land sales came under the scrutiny of the Government Commission. In 1841, when a European family was murdered by Maketu, the European settlers demanded his arrest. Heke, however, advocated open revolt, but the moderate counsels of Tamati Waka Nene and other Ngapuhi chiefs prevailed. Heke's anger smouldered until, in 1844, two American whalers were seized for smuggling and their crews convicted and fined heavily. Annoyed by the severity of these fines, the Acting American Consul suggested to Heke that the British flag at Kororareka was to blame, for it was by virtue of that flag that the country had passed to the Queen. Heke fomented a quarrel against his cousin Kaimare and set out with a taua (war party) against him, but Kaimare suggested that the taua might be better employed against the British. Accordingly, at daybreak on 8 July 1844, Heke's men cut down the flagstaff. Waka Nene and some of the Ngapuhi chiefs protested against this action and Heke apologised and made reparation.

Heke then sent Kawiti, the fighting chief of Kawakawa, a green mere smeared with filth, suggestive of the indignities which had been heaped upon the Maori. Kawiti agreed to join Heke in his war against the British and his men commenced plundering the settlers. Heke denounced looting, but, being jealous of the reputation Kawiti was gaining, decided to seek the limelight by once more cutting down the flagstaff. On 9 January 1845 he did so and the Government offered £100 reward for his capture. Meanwhile a new flagpole was erected and Waka Nene told the Colonial Secretary, Dr Sinclair, that he would arrest Heke should he make another attempt on the flagpole. Ten days later Heke left his men at the foot of the hill, walked to the summit through Nene's men, and cut the back stays of the flagstaff, which fell. Nene's men, faced with the choice of killing a chief for his treatment of an inanimate flagstaff, refused to take action. A new flagstaff was erected and guarded by a blockhouse, while a second blockhouse and a battery were placed lower down the hill. Heke now joined forces with Kawiti at Te Uruti, near Kororareka, where they planned two diversionary movements to draw away the soldiers guarding Kororareka, leaving Heke free to move his men up the flagstaff hill. The surprise was complete and the flagstaff fell for the fourth time. After some fierce fighting the Europeans abandoned Kororareka to the Maoris and reports reached Auckland that Heke and Kawiti had joined forces and that a joint attack on the city was imminent.

Fearing retaliation Heke and Kawiti built a pa at Te Ahuahu, while Nene built another at Okaihau to keep an eye on developments. There were several minor skirmishes in which Heke was worsted. He tried to make peace with Nene but would not accept the terms offered. On hearing that the Governor had dispatched troops to assist Nene, Heke abandoned Te Ahuahu and took up a strong position at Puketutu, where he beat off an ill-conceived attack made by British troops and Nene's men under Lieutenant-Colonel Hulme. The soldiers withdrew to their ships and Heke returned to Te Ahuahu. Taonui, who was left to watch movements, discovered one day that most of Heke's men were foraging near Ohaeawai – he thereupon attacked and captured the pa, where he was soon joined by Nene. In the meantime H. Williams and others were endeavouring to persuade Heke to sue for peace, but he and Kawiti proceeded to build a stronger pa at Ohaeawai. Heke was by this time de facto “King” of the northern districts and he issued an arrogant “fight if you like” challenge to the Governor. All this time Nene's men carried on a series of skirmishing attacks on Heke's foraging parties. The most serious of these, on 12 June 1845, led to Heke's suffering a humiliating defeat at Pukenui. Nevertheless, as his mana had risen greatly in previous months, Heke decided to make one great attempt to overwhelm Nene. Although Heke was aided by 450 warriors with their chiefs, his forces were repulsed. On the other wing Heke's lieutenant, Te Kahakaha, was mortally wounded in combat against Taonui. When Heke heard of this he dashed to his friend's side, but was himself wounded and had to be carried from the field.

Heke was not in Ohaeawai when Colonel Despard attacked the pa, though he and his men joined Kawiti after the soldiers were driven off. On 19 July 1845 Heke petitioned for peace, but argued that the Europeans were at fault. Kawiti also desired peace, but not at any price; he therefore entrenched himself in an ingenious fortification at Ruapekapeka. In view of these activities Heke's peace moves appeared to be a device to cloak further military preparations. Governor Grey made his own offer of peace and gave the two chiefs a fixed time to consider it. Their reply, when it came, was insulting and the war continued. On 10 January 1846 Ruapekapeka (“The Bat's Nest”) was besieged and shelled. Heke drew his men off into the forest, but Kawiti preferred to fight on. On the following day Heke's men held Christian services in the forest while Kawiti's rested in their trenches. Nene's men and some soldiers crept into the pa and captured it, after meeting little more than token resistance. With the fall of Ruapekapeka the war in the North was over. Heke and Kawiti sued for peace and Grey, after consulting with Nene, granted a full and unconditional pardon. Kawiti accepted this graciously, but not so the proud Heke, who wished the Governor to meet him and accept his submission. After some delicate negotiations Grey met Heke and accepted his greenstone mere as a token of surrender.

At this period Heke settled at Kaikohe, where he petitioned Queen Victoria to right the wrongs he had suffered. The Queen, however, was advised to make no reply. Heke now married again, much to Hariata's annoyance. Nevertheless, she nursed him until his death on 6 August 1850. Heke was given a Christian burial service, after which his body was interred in a secret cavern located, so it is said, on the volcanic hill, Te Putahu.

A tall, clever, and splendidly proportioned warrior, Hone Heke was chivalrous in war and much respected as a leader and chief. His pride and restless ambition were the only real flaws which marred his greatness.

by Robert Ritchie Alexander, M.A., DIP.ED.(N.Z.), B.T.(CALCUTTA), PH.D.(MINNESOTA), Teachers' Training College, Christchurch.

• Heke's War and the North, Burrows, R. (1886)
• New Zealand's First War, Buick, T. L. (1926)
• Hone Heke's Rebellion, Rutherford, J. (1947).

(1869–1909).

Maori leader.

A new biography of Ngapua, Hone Heke appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

Hone Heke was a most able Maori leader and an eloquent member of the House of Representatives who did much to raise the status of his people before his early death cut short a career of great promise. Heke was born in Kaikohe in 1869 and named after his father's uncle, the great fighter who led the opposition to the British in 1845–46. His parents could trace their ancestry to all the most prominent figures in the history of the Ngapuhi tribe and they also had connections with other important tribes, such as Ngati Kahungunu and those descended from the Mataatua canoe.

Young Hone Heke was given a good education, being placed at St. Stephen's School, Parnell, by Sir George Grey, who took a personal interest in his progress. In spite of being well schooled in Pakeha matters, Heke retained his Maori upbringing and he never lost touch with his own people.

During Hone Heke's youth a revival and expansion of the 1835 Confederation of Tribes, now known as the Kotahitanga, was claiming the attention of much of the Maori world, and he soon became one of its acknowledged leaders. With its backing he entered Parliament in 1893 when aged only 24. Throughout his parliamentary career he championed the rights of his people, introducing a Native Rights Bill, which, although not accepted by the House, found some of its principles embodied in the Native Lands Administration Act and the Maori Councils Act, both of 1900. Outside the House he was influential as a peacemaker and prevented armed insurrections by intervening in disputes over surveys in the Urewera and over the dog tax in Hokianga.

The importance of Hone Heke's work in preparing the way for the Young Maori Party has been generally overlooked. It is undoubtedly true that younger men, such as Peter Buck, who followed him as parliamentary representative for Northern Maori, Apirana Ngata, and other leaders of the Maori renaissance, learned much of their wisdom from him. He might well have been their equal in stature had he lived more than 40 years.

Hone Heke had not married. He lived on a fairly lavish scale and charmed all who came in contact with him. His death from tuberculosis in Wellington on 9 February 1909 was deeply mourned, not only by Maoris but also by the many Pakehas who held him in esteem and affection. Sir James Carroll took the body back to Kaikohe for burial, and two years later, on a summit near the town, his memorial was unveiled.

by John March Booth, M.A., DIP.ANTHR.(LOND.), Secretary, New Zealand Maori Council, and the Polynesian Society, Wellington.

• N.Z.P.D., 10 Jun 1909
• New Zealand Rulers and Statesmen, Gisborne, W. (1897)
• New Zealand Times, 10 Oct 1907.

The heitiki is a small, carved ornament, usually of greenstone, worn suspended from the neck. It is often incorrectly referred to as tiki. Tikis are, properly, the much larger human figures carved in wood guarding the entrance to a Maori pa and, also, the smaller wooden carvings used to mark a tapu place. The heitiki's origins are obscure. Best says that the first was made for Hina-te-iwaiwa, the Maori Moon Goddess and patroness of women. It is regarded as sacred, and the most widely held theory claims that it represents the human embryo, especially those of still-born children. These are considered to be particularly powerful spirits, owing to their having been cheated of life. Another version suggests that the heitiki is connected with Tiki, the Maori god who was responsible for the creation of life or who was the first life itself. In both explanations the heitiki is clearly a fertility symbol. There is also a third theory, which suggests that it was worn merely for personal adornment.

The most valuable heitikis are those carved from greenstone by the ancient craftsmen, though bone, wood, and whale ivory were also used. From the size and style it is thought that the greenstone was first cut to the shape of a small adze. It is also possible that heitikis were a by-product of adze making, being fashioned from the larger chips. Shaping the greenstone with primitive tools was a laborious task involving the use of stone, sand, and sticks, The stone was gradually smoothed by abrasive rubbing; then, with sticks and water, it was slowly shaped and the holes bored. Polishing was effected by rubbing it against wood, bark, and, finally, the skin. The completed heitiki was suspended by a plaited cord and secured by a loop and toggle. In earlier specimens pieces of paua shell were inlaid for eyes. The “tikis” sold as souvenirs are, if of greenstone, produced with the aid of modern grinding and polishing machines; the cheaper examples are either ceramics or mass-produced from green plastic.

In olden days the heitiki was the most prized of greenstone neck ornaments. Within a broad traditional pattern it showed many individual variations. The wry-necked form was sometimes called pitau, while the term tikipopohe was usually applied to badly made specimens.

by Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.

• The Maori, Best, E. (1924)
• The Maori Heitiki – Greenstone Souvenir of New Zealand, The Leon Studios, Auckland (n.d.).