Search

Hōri Ngātai was from Ngāti Hē hapū of Ngāi Te Rangi, and was born at Maungatapu, near Tauranga. His ancestry can be traced to both the Mātaatua and Te Arawa canoes. He was the son of Tūtahi, who signed the Treaty of…

Tamarau Waiari, also known as Te Mākarini Te Wharehuia and Te Mākarini Kaikino, was a chief of high rank in Ngāti Koura, Ngāi Te Riu, Ngāti Muriwai and Ngāti Hinekura, hapū of the Tūhoe tribe. His father was Waiari (…

Manga, later called Rewi Maniapoto, was born in Waikato early in the nineteenth century. According to his memorial at Kihikihi, he was born in 1807, although at his death in 1894 he was said to be in his 70s. He was the…

Matutaera Nihoniho, in his narrative of the fighting on the East Coast, states that he was born on 30 October 1850 at Whareponga, near Waipiro Bay. He belonged to Te Aowera and Te Aitanga-a-Mate of Ngāti Porou. His…

Ngā-kahu-whero was a descendant of the great Te Rarawa leader Te Rēinga, whose dwelling place was north Hokianga. Te Rēinga had supreme authority over the people and land of the area and this was handed down to his son…

Pūrakau Maika was the son of Maika Pūrakau, a pro-King movement chief of Hurunuiorangi pā at the junction of the Tauheru and Ruamāhanga rivers. His father was of Ngāti Hikarāhui hapū, which combined lines of descent…

Hōri Pukehika, a leader of Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi of the lower Wanganui River, was a noted carver and one of the last of his people skilled in the old traditions. In later years he was particularly associated with…

Pāora Taki belonged to Ngāi Te Rakiāmoa hapū of Ngāi Tahu. He was born probably in the early nineteenth century. His father, Rakiāmoa, and his mother, Kere, claimed further descent from Te Ātawhiua hapū of Canterbury…

Tūmate Mahuta was born, probably in July 1893, at Waahi pā, near Huntly. He was the third surviving son of Mahuta, the third Māori King, and his wife, Te Marae. His elder brothers were Te Rata, the fourth King, and…

Ngātuere was born at Te Pāparu, a Wairarapa pā near Te Ahikōuka, in the vicinity of the Waiōhine River. His father was Tāwhirimātea and his grandfather Te Ātāhuna, both leaders of Ngāti Kahukura-awhitia, one of the most…

Hēmi Huata was the fourth child of Tāmihana Huata, the first vicar of Wairoa Māori pastorate, who had succeeded the missionary James Hamlin in 1864. Tāmihana was an important chief whose influence on events in the…

Anaru Matete was born in the Poverty Bay area; the date of his birth is not known. His mother was Hinetautope, of Rongowhakaata and of Te Whānau-a-Kai and Te Whānau-a-Taupara hapū of Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki; his father was…

Thomas Adamson is said to have been born at Whanganui on 9 September 1845, the second son of William Adamson, a carpenter, and Mary Osborne. In his teens he followed the goldrush to Otago, but returned disappointed. A…

The origins of Manuel José are clouded in mystery. It is not known for certain where he came from, nor when he arrived in New Zealand. He arrived in the Waiapu area on the East Coast, probably in the late 1830s, and…

Hine-i-tūrama Ngātīki now known by her descendants as Hineatūrama, was of Ngāti Whakaue, a section of Te Arawa. She was the only daughter of Te Koeke and her husband Kahana-tokowai, of Mokoia Island, Rotorua. She was…

Known as Wero Tāroi, Wero Mahikore, Karu, and Wero, this master carver of Ngāti Tarāwhai of Te Arawa was one of the greatest Māori carvers whose work is now known. Few facts about Wero Taroi's life have been recorded,…

Pōmare, originally named Whētoi, the son of Puhi of Ngāti Manu, was born in the latter part of the eighteenth century. He was connected by descent to Ngāpuhi hapū Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Rāhiri and Ngāti Hine, and to the…

Rāpata Wahawaha, of Te Aowera hapū of Ngāti Porou, was born at either Te Puia or Akuaku, in the Waiapu district. His father was Hīpora Koroua and his mother Te Hapamana Te Whao. His most distinguished ancestor was…

According to his monument at Papawai, Hāmuera Tamahau Mahupuku was born on 25 September 1840. Other sources state that he was born in 1837, or in 1842. He was known to Europeans as Sam, and to Māori and in official…

Wiremu Rikihana was born at Kaiawe, near Waireia, northern Hokianga, in 1851. He was of Ngāti Te Reinga of Waihou, and Te Rarawa; his hapū, Te Tāwhiu, was prominent in the north. His mother's name was Hārata. His father…