Dictionary of New Zealand Bography logo

Kōrero: Te Pōtangaroa, Pāora

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Te Pōtangaroa, Pāora

?–1881

Nō Ngāti Kahungunu, nō Rangitāne; he kaihautū, he matakite

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Angela Ballara rāua ko Keith Cairns, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1990. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

He uri a Pāora Te Pōtangaroa nō Ngaehe, o Ngāti Kere me Ngāti Te Whatuiāpiti. He kaihautū tana matua a Wiremu Te Pōtangaroa nō Mātaikona ki Te Wairarapa. Nō Te Ika-a-Papauma ia. He hapū tēnei nō Ngāti Kahungunu. Ki te taha ki tana pāpā, arā, ki tana kuia ki a Nau, e whanaunga ana a Pāora Te Pōtangaroa ki ngā iwi o Hāmua, he wāhanga nō Rangitāne.

Nō te tau 1853, ka hainangia e Pāora te pukapuka hoko whenua i riro ai te poraka o Rangiwhakaoma (Castlepoint). He whenua nui tēnei e rere ana i te awa o Whareama whakauta ki te pae maunga o Puketoi; kātahi ka whati whakararo ki te awa o Mātaikona. Ko te hoko nui tuatahi tēnei i whakaritea e Te Mākarini (Donald McLean), te kōmihana tumuaki hoko whenua, i Te Wairarapa. Nō muri, ka tukuna anō e Pāora te poraka o Tautāne i Pōrangahau me te poraka o Waihora. Ēngari, o ngā rangatira katoa o Te Wairarapa, ko ia anake te tangata i uaua rawa atu te whakaae kia hokona ngā whenua.

Mai i te tīmatanga o ngā tau o te tekau tau mai i 1860, ka kitea tōna tū poropiti, kaihautū hoki, i roto i Te Wairarapa; ka whakaaria hei Kīngi Māori, kāore ia i whakaae. I te tau 1878, ka tahuri ia ki te whakakipakipa i ngā hapū huhua o te taha whakarunga o Te Wairarapa, ki te hanga whare whakairo ki Te Kaitekateka, e kīia nei i nāianei ko Te Oreore (Te Ore Ore). E tata atu ana tēnei wāhi ki Whakaoriori (Masterton). Ko te rangatira o te takiwā nei ko Wī Waaka, he tangata i kaha tōna hou ki roto i ngā mahi a te rūnanga me te Kīngitanga; ki te manaaki hoki i ngā karere a te Pai Mārire. Nō rātau ka tīmata ki te hanga i te whare nei, ka tupu te riri i waenganui i a Pāora rāua ko Te Kere, he tohunga whakairo, he poropiti hoki nō Whanganui. He kite nō Te Kere rāua ko Wī Waaka kua piki haere te mana o Pāora, ā, tērā pea ka heke ō rāua tupu, ka pūhaehaetia. I hae rawa ai a Te Kere, nā te kaha nui o te whare, 96 putu te roa, 30 putu te whānui. Ka hamumu ake i tana poropiti, 'E kore e oti te whare nei i roto i ngā tau e waru.' Ko tana haerenga tērā ki te hanga whare anō mō Ngāti Rangiwhakaaewa i Tahoraiti.

Ahakoa te poropiti a Te Kere, nō 1881 ka oti te whare nei. Hei taunutanga mā Pāora i ngā mana o Te Kere, ka whakaīngoatia te taonga nei ko Ngā Tau e Waru. He nui ngā āhuatanga rerekē o roto o tēnei whare – he whakaironui, he rīpeka manga whati, he kōwhaiwhai tauhou. Ko te hunga nā rātau i waihanga ko Tāmati Aorere o Ngāti Kahungunu rāua ko Tāepa o Te Arawa. Ka hangaia e Pāora he kōhatu ki roto i te whare, hei aho ki te wāhi ngaro. Ka whakairohia e Te Kere ngā whakapakoko e rua, he tāne, he wahine, e hanga tangata ana. Nā Te Kere i whakahau kia tāraia ki te tāhuhu, ki runga ake o te kūaha kia kore ai e āta kitea rawatia. Ko te tikanga o ēnei mahi, e kuhu atu ai he rangatira i te kūaha, kua horoia katoatia ōna tapu, kua noa. Nō te hounga atu o Wī Waaka ki te whare, kātahi ka hemo i te pararaiha, ka mauria ki waho. Kāore, ko te tikanga o te whakairo rā, hei tiaki kē i a Pāora, whara kē ana ko Wī Waaka.

E whakairohia ana te whare, e ikeike ana hoki te mana o Pāora. Kua kauwhau i te Rongopai i te aronga a te Māori. Kia haere i roto i te tini o te tangata, kua mene katoa mai ki te whakarongo ki āna tohutohu. He wā anō, kua noho puku. He nui ana poropiti i whakapuakina e ia, i te wā anō e whakaotihia ana te whare o Ngā Tau e Waru; i kīia, tērā e pakaru mai i te urunga o te rā, tētahi mana nui ki te iwi. Kātahi ka haere te tini o te whakamārama; ka huaina ko te taenga mai o te Rongopai a Ihu Karaiti e ai ki tā ngā Mōmona. I huaina anō ka tae mai he mihingare i te rāwhiti ki te hanga hāhi hou. Nō te taenga mai o Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana, arā, o Te Māngai, ki Te Oreore i te tau 1928, i runga i te karanga a te iwi, ka whakatahingia e ia te kōhatu i waihangatia rā e Pāora ki roto o Ngā Tau e Waru, ka haria ki waho. Ka wahangū te aho rā. Ka kīia ko te taenga mai o te Hāhi Rātana, koia tērā ko te ritenga o te poropiti a Pāora.

Nō te 1881, ka moemoeā a Pāora. Ka whakahuihuingia tana iwi ki te whakamāori i tāna i kite ai. Nā te kaha nui o ōna mana, e kōrerotia ana e haere ana ki te 3,000 te tokomaha o te iwi i whakaeke ki Te Oreore i Maehe 1881. Ira kē te nui o ngā whakatikatika mō te manaaki i ngā manuhiri; āpiti atu ki ngā whakariterite mō tētehi hākari nui. I hangaia rawatia he whata kai, 150 putu te roa, 10 putu te whānui, e 4 putu te teitei. He maha tonu ngā Pākehā i tae atu; he uiui tā ētahi, he whakapono kore, he mātakitaki tā ētahi. Nō te 16 o Maehe 1881, ka noho te whakaminenga ki te tatari ki ngā kauwhau poropiti a Pāora. Puta rawa ake, kua ahiahi; e haere mai ana i te kāinga o Wī Waaka. Ka whakapuakina e ia ngā tohu o tōna whakakitenga i runga i te haki. E hia nei ngā wāhanga o te haki i kotikotia ki te mangu. Ko ngā tohu kei ia wāhanga he whetū, me ētahi tohu pūngāwerewere nei. Kua whakatarea te haki ki waenganui tonu o te pouhaki i mua o te wharenui. Kāore i hoki mai tana pātai kia whakamāoritia. Kāore hoki ia i whakaae kia riro māna anō hei whakamāori, ahakoa te whakapono kore, me te riri o ētahi kia whakakitea mai he merekara. Nō te aonga ake, ka puta mai anō; kātahi ka karanga ki te whakaminenga: 'Titiro ki te haki! Kōrerohia! He aha ōna tikanga?' Kātahi ia ka whakakeke. I mutu taratara noa iho tēnā hui. Ruku tonu atu ki te kai waipiro.

E hia nei ngā wiki i muri mai, ka puta ake a Pāora i tana kāinga ki te kauwhau ki tana iwi: haere ake nei, me kaua te hoko me te rīhi whenua; me mutu te whakatūtū nama. Kaua hoki e utua ā rātau raruraru e nama tonu ana. Nō konei ka tau te māramatanga mō tana haki. Ko ngā kotikotinga ko ngā whenua ēnei kua oti te tuku. Ko ngā whetū me ērā atu tohu, ko ngā rāhui ēnei kua marara haere, arā, ko ngā mahuetanga o ngā whenua i tukuna whakarere iho. He kite nō Pāora, kua kore tana iwi i mōhio ko rātau anō kei te whakapōhara i a rātau, ka whakaaro ia me poropiti.

E toru marama i muri mai ka mate a Pāora Te Pōtangaroa. Ka koa te ngākau o ngā kaiwhakahaere Pākehā i te rongonga kua mate; kua mataku hoki rātau ki te hihikotanga o te wairua Māori i werowerohia rā e ia. I tangihia a Pāora ki Te Oreore. E whakahemohemo ana ka hoatu e Pāora he pouaka moni ki tana tama, ki a Kīngi. He moni ēnei nā te hunga i whakawhiua mō te kai waipiro i Te Oreore. Nā ēnei moni, ka ea ngā raruraru o tana tangihanga. I te nehunga, ka pīkautia mā te waka tūpāpaku ki Mātaikona.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Angela Ballara and Keith Cairns. 'Te Pōtangaroa, Pāora', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1990. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/1t57/te-potangaroa-paora (accessed 29 March 2024)