Biography: Te Awa-i-taia, Wiremu Nēra

Later life

A photograph showing Te Awa-i-taia holding a carved wooden staff

Te Awa-i-taia was photographed later in life with a taiaha (fighting staff) – a weapon of which he was a noted exponent in his youth.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PA2-2101

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

How to cite this page

Gary Scott. 'Te Awa-i-taia, Wiremu Nēra', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1990. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/1997/later-life (accessed 4 June 2026).