I whānau a Ngāpora i ngā tau tīmatanga o te rau tau 1800–1899. Ko tōna iwi ko Ngāti Mahuta o Waikato. Ko ōna mātua ko Hore rāua ko Kahurimu. Hei irāmutu a ia mā Te Rauangaanga, arā, ka noho karanga rua ai rāua ko Pōtatau Te Wherowhero. Ki ngā kōrero, e taitama tonu ana a ia i tōna urunga atu ki te pakanga ki a Ngāpuhi, i te pā i Mātakitaki, i te tau 1822. Tērā pea ko ia anō tētehi o ngā hunga i roto i ngā pakanga ki a Taranaki me Te Arawa ki Rotorua, i ngā tekau tau mai i 1820, i 1830. Nō tō rātou huringa ko tōna whānau hei Karaitiana, ka tangohia e ia te īngoa rā a Tāmati (Thomas). Ko Hera te īngoa o tana wahine. Kotahi tā rāua tamāhine e mōhiotia ana, ko Hera anō tōna īngoa.
I te tau 1848 ka tuhi a Ngāpora ki a Kāwana Hōri Kerei (George Grey), ki te whakaputa atu i ōna māharahara, arā; e memeha haere ana te mana o ngā rangatira i roto i te ao Māori. Me tana whakatūpato anō ko te papa o tēnei āhuatanga, he whakararuraru i te ture me ngā whakahaere a te kāwanatanga. I tukuna atu te kōrero nei ki a Ēara Grey i Ingarangi, ko ia te Hēkeretari Mō Ngā Whenua o Tāwāhi (Secretary of State for the Colonies). Ko te whakaaro i tukuna atu e Ngāpora hei whakanoho pakari i te mana o ngā rangatira, arā; me tuku he whakaaetanga ā-pukapuka me te mana whakahaere o te ture i ō rātou nei rohe ki a rātou. Kīhai a Kāwana Kerei i aro atu ki tērā kōrero, ka noho tārewa te kaupapa rā.
I roto a Ngāpora rātou ko Te Wherowhero mā, i te maha o Ngāti Mahuta i heke i Waikato ki Māngere kē noho ai. I te tau 1849, ka whakaae rātou ki te āwhina i ngā hōia a te kāwanatanga ki te tiaki i a Ākarana (Auckland). I taua wā kua eke kē a Ngāpora hei kaikauwhau reimana mō te Hāhi Mihingare. Ko ia anō hoki te āteha me te kaiāwhina o te Kaiwhakawā Takiwā mō ngā ture e pā ana ki te iwi Māori o reira. He pou tokomanawa anō hoki mō te kaupapa kia aukatitia te waipiro. Nāna i hanga he whare karakia kōhatu mō rātou, ki tō rātou papakāinga i Ihumātao, e pātata ana ki Māngere.
I ngā tekau tau o 1850, ka tino rongo whānuitia te kaupapa o te Kīngitanga, arā, he whakamātau ki te whakakotahi i te mana o ngā Māori, ā, ki te aukati hoki i ngā mahi hokohoko whenua. Kāore a Ngāpora i pai ki taua kaupapa i te tuatahi. Heoti, nō te hokinga o Te Wherowhero ki Waikato, ka whakawahia hei Kīngi, ka noho a Ngāpora ki Māngere hei reo kōrero mō te Kīngi ki te kāwana. Nō te tau 1861, ka hoki mai a Hōri Kerei hei kāwana mō Aotearoa. Ka karangatia e Ngāpora he hui rūnanga, kia tūtaki ai ngā rangatira o te Kīngitanga ki a Kāwana Kerei. I taua hui ka tautohe a Rewi Maniapoto kia tū wātea te Kīngitanga, i te mana o te Kuini o Ingarangi. Kore rawa a Kerei i whakaae ki tērā. Ka tae ki te tau 1863 kāhore anō kia tatū te kaupapa rā, ēngari kua huri kē ngā whakaaro o ngā Māori, tērā pea mā te pakanga anake e whakarite. Ka whakatūpato atu a Ngāpora i te kāwana, mō ngā ope taua e whakaemitia ana ki te huaki i te rāihe a te kāwanatanga i Te Ia (Havelock, e pātata ana ki Mercer); me te whakamōhio atu anō kua takoto ngā tātai hei konihi i a Ākarana. Nō Hūrae o 1863, ka takoto te whakarite a te kāwanatanga ki ngā Māori o te takiwā ki te taiwhakararo o te awa o Mangatāwhiri. Ko te whakahau, kia oati ka noho pūmau tonu rātou, ki te mana o te Kuini o Ingarangi. Ki te kore, ka panaia rātou kia hoki ki Waikato noho ai. Ki a Ngāpora he tino hākiki taua whakarite, nō reira kāhore a ia i aro atu. Nā tērā, ka huhunutia ngā kāinga o ngā Māori e ngā hōia a te kāwanatanga, ka puta te riri ki ngā iwi rā. Nō te kaha hinepōuri o Ngāpora, ka hoki a ia ki Waikato. Nō taua wā anō, arā, nō te 12 o Hūrae, ka whakawhiti atu a Rūtene Tianara Duncan Cameron me ngā hōia a te Karauna i te awa o Mangatāwhiri, ki te urutomo i te rohe o Waikato. Kāhore a Ngāpora i taua riri. Nō muri i te riri ka muru raupatutia ngā whenua o Waikato, ā, ko te hekenga atu tēnā o Ngāpora rāua ko Tāwhiao, te tama a Te Wherowhero, ki te Rohe Pōtae noho ai.
I noho a Ngāpora ki Tokangamutu (Te Kūiti) te rohe o Ngāti Maniapoto. I a ia i reira ka tangohia e ia a Manuhiri hei īngoa mōna, arā, he mihi ki ngā manaakitanga a te iwi kāinga ki a ia, he tangata he mea tūhiti rā hoki. I āta tono anō a Te Wherowhero ko Ngāpora hei Kīngi i muri iho i a ia, ēngari ko te kōrero ā Wiremu Tāmihana Tarapīpipi me ētehi atu o te Kāhui Ariki, ko Tāwhiao kē te tangata e pīrangi ana rātou. Nō muri iho ka eke ko Ngāpora te pou tikanga, pou kōrero hoki mō Tāwhiao, ka whakaritea ko tana tamāhine, a Hera, hei wahine mā Tāwhiao. Nō reira ka noho tino piri nei aua ariki rā, ko Ngāpora te hungarei ko Tāwhiao tana hunaonga. Nā ēnei tū āhua i kaha ai te awe o Ngāpora i roto i te Kīngitanga. Ko te wā anō tērā i whai ai a Ngāpora i ngā akoranga a te hāhi Pai Mārire. I whakamātau a ia ki te aukati i te taua a Ngāti Maniapoto, i heke atu ki Pukearuhe (White Cliffs) i te tairaro o Taranaki. Ēngari kīhai i momoho, nō te mea i Pēpuere o 1869 ka whakangaromia e Ngāti Maniapoto te rāihe a te kāwanatanga i reira e tū ana. I tohe anō hoki a Ngāpora kia kaua e hono atu ngā ope taua a te Kīngitanga ki ngā ope taua a Te Kooti, mehemea ka tū anō he pakanga ki te kāwanatanga.
Tae noa ki te tau 1879 e aukati tonu ana te Rohe Pōtae ki te Pākehā. Nā reira, i kore ai i taea e te kāwanatanga te hanga te rerewē atu ki te tonga o Kirikiriroa (Hamilton). Ki a Rewi Maniapoto, me waiho taua aukati hei tikanga whakariterite kia whakahokia mai ai, ētehi o ngā whenua o Waikato i murua rā e te kāwanatanga. Ēngari ki a Ngāpora rātou ko ngā tumu kōrero ki te Kīngi, kīhai rātou i pai ki tērā momo maungārongo. Ko te whakahoki kē mai o te katoa o ngā whenua i murua rā, tā rātou i hiahia ai. Ki a rātou, ko te pirimia tonu ko Hōri Kerei kei te mahi tinihanga ki a rātou. I tētehi hui i tū ki Hikurangi, i te takiwā o Kāwhia i te tau 1878, ka takoto te kōrero a Hōri Kerei mō tana hiahia ki te whakahoki whenua ki te Kīngitanga. Arā, e 500 eka i Ngāruawāhia, me ngā whenua i te taha uru o te awa o Waikato kīhai anō kia hokona e te kāwanatanga. Kīhai a Ngāpora me ngā rangatira o Waikato e whakaae, nō te mea he iti rawa. Nō te tau o muri mai, ka hui tahi anō a Kerei rātou ko Ngāpora mā ki Te Kōpua. I reira ka whakakakapatia e Ngāpora he tauira o te pukapuka a Hōri Kerei o te tau 1863, e pānui ana me tūhititia ngā Māori e noho ana i te tonga o Ākarana. Me te wero anō a Ngāpora kia whakahokia mai ngā whenua katoa i murua rā e te kāwanatanga.
Nō te tau 1881 ka tuku a Tāwhiao i a ia ki te mana o te kāwanatanga, i te hui i Pirongia. He nui te ope a Tāwhiao i whakaeke ki taua hui. E 500 te tokomaha o te ope taua. I reira anō hoki a Ngāpora me ētehi atu o te Kāhui Ariki. Nō muri ka noho tonu a Ngāpora ki Whatiwhatihoe, te kāinga o te Kīngitanga ki te Rohe Pōtae. I mate a ia ki reira i te 5 o Ākuhata 1885. E kīia ana kua eke pea ōna tau ki te 80 ka mate nei. I noho a Rewi Maniapoto i tōna taha i ōna rā whakamutunga, ā, i mua i tana hinganga i toro mai a Tāwhiao ki te kite i a ia.