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Taiaroa, Tini Kerei

by Jenny Lee

Biography

Tini Pana (Jane Burns) was born at Moeraki, North Otago, probably in 1846 or 1847. She was the third of four children of Pukio Iwa, of Ngāi Tuahuriri hapū of Ngāi Tahu (descendants of Tautahi), and Richard Burns (Riki Pana) of Argyllshire, Scotland, a farmer at Moeraki. Tini Pana was baptised Jane Burns at Moeraki on 27 September 1850 by the Wesleyan missionary Charles Creed; her brother, John, and sister, Margaret, were baptised with her. By 1854 Tini's mother was a widow; she next married Natanahira Waruwarutū, a man of considerable mana. Waruwarutū supported the work of the missionaries at Moeraki from 1843, and, together with Matiaha Tiramōrehu and his supporters, he gave instruction in traditional Māori matters until the late 1860s. This environment fostered in Tini a strong feeling for both cultures.

Sometime in the late 1850s or the 1860s, at Ōtākou, Tini Pana married Hōri Kerei Taiaroa, the son of Mawera and Te Mātenga Taiaroa, a major Ngāi Tahu chief. The union of Tini and Hōri Kerei reaffirmed the alliance between Otago and Canterbury branches of Ngāi Tahu whose relationship had become very strained. Tini and Hōri Kerei were well matched; both were attractive, intelligent, educated and well born. They were to have six sons.

During the 1860s Tini Taiaroa was a mother, farmer's wife and, increasingly, a politician's wife. At that time Hōri Kerei was dividing his time between farming at Ōtākou and supporting Ngāi Tahu land claims. When he became member of the House of Representatives for Southern Māori in 1871, Tini's letters kept him up to date with details of the family's life.

In 1879 the Taiaroa family moved to Taumutu on the shores of Lake Ellesmere. Here, Ngāi Tahu people built Te Awhitū, a large European-style house. It was run by Tini in a manner that was reputed to be highly organised and elegant. She had a European servant and also monogrammed linen and a greenstone-handled cutlery set. Tini was a woman of considerable mana in her own right. Her correspondence includes letters on political, business and family matters and she wrote articles for at least one Māori newspaper; but although literate in Māori, she never became a confident speaker of English.

Tini and Hōri Kerei's six sons all became accomplished sportsmen and were able to move easily in both Māori and European worlds. Tini also brought up her eldest son's children. Their father, Te One (known as John), drowned in 1907 and their mother, Rakapa Pōtaka, had died giving birth in 1904. Tini's third son, Riki (later known as Poua Dick), also lived at Te Awhitū. He adopted and brought with him his niece's son, Riki Ellison, who was one of many other children raised by Tini in her later life. They remember her fine flax work and singing of old waiata.

Tini Taiaroa was an important figure behind the scenes in Canterbury and Otago Māori affairs. She supported Hōri Kerei in his demanding role as MHR and from 1885 as a member of the Legislative Council. She also dealt with business and farming matters on behalf of her husband during his absences. However, her main role was as parent to a large number of children, grandchildren and members of her extended family. She died at Taumutu on 4 September 1934, surviving her husband by nearly 30 years. During that time she was involved in tribal, community and Methodist church activities in the Taumutu area.


Links and sources

Bibliography

    Obit. Ellesmere Guardian. 7 Sept. 1934

    Te Karanga 4, No 3 (1988)


How to cite this page:

Jenny Lee. 'Taiaroa, Tini Kerei', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1993, updated February, 2006. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2t2/taiaroa-tini-kerei (accessed 29 March 2024)