Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Tapsell, Ngātai Tohi Te Ururangi
1844–1928
Nō Ngāti Whakaue; he wahine rangatira
Tapsell, Retireti
1836–1913
Nō Ngāti Whakaue; he kaingārahu, he pirihimana, he āpiha ārai
I eh tuhia tēnei haurongo e Sherwood Young, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1993.
Ko Retireti Tapsell (ko Tāpihana tētehi anō o ōna īngoa) te tama mātāmua a Phillip (Philip) Tapsell (Piripi Tāpihana rānei), rāua ko Hineitūrama (Hineatūrama) Ngātiki. He kaihokohoko a Piripi i Te Moana-a-Toi (Bay of Plenty), ā, ko Hineitūrama he uri nō ngā kāwai rangatira o Ngāti Whakaue, he wāhanga nō Te Arawa. I te tīmatanga o te tau 1836 i haere atu he ope taua nō Ngāti Hauā i Matamata; kātahi ka tukitukia e rātau te pā o Maketū. I whiua a Piripi Tāpihana me tōna whānau, tuatahi ki Matatā, ā, i muri mai ki te moutere o Mokoia i te moana o Rotorua. Ka tata a Hineitūrama ki te whakawhānau i tana tamaiti tuarua, ka hangaia he amo hei kawe atu i a ia i Te Kapenga ki Ōhinemutu. I īngoatia te tama tuatahi nei ko Retireti (Retreat) hei whakamaumaharatanga i te whatinga ohoreretanga mai o te whānau i Maketū. Ko Kataraina te tuahine pakeke o Retireti, ā, taihoa ake ka puta anō he tamariki. Tokowhā rātau: ko Piripi (Philip), ko Īeni (Hans), ko Ewa, me Tote (Dorathy). I te wā whakamutunga o te tau 1836 ka haere a Retireti Tāpihana me ōna mātua ki Poihākena (Sydney). I a rātau i reira ka riro mai i tōna matua he utanga taonga. Nō muri tata tonu mai ka tīmata anō a Piripi Tāpihana i tana mahi hokohoko i roto o Whakatāne.
I tīmata te hau o te rongo o Retireti Tāpihana i te tekau tau atu i 1860. I taua wā kua moea kētia e ia a Ngātai Tohi Te Ururangi, te tamāhine a te amorangi o Ngāti Whakaue, a Tohi Te Ururangi me tana hoa wahine, me Tāniko Te Haukau. Ko te kōrero o tōna ngare, i whānau kē mai a Ngātai i Ōhinemutu i te tau 1844. Nō te mea ko ia anake te tamaiti a Tohi Te Ururangi e ora tonu ana, ka tino pakari rawa atu tōna mana. Tokowhitu ngā tama i puta ki a rāua ko Retireti: ko Rewi Tereanuku, ko Kiri, ko Taa, ko Kiharoa, ko Kouma, ko Pita me Ropihana, ā, kotahi te mea wahine, ko Nira.
Nō te 4 o Tīhema 1862 ka tohua ko Retireti Tāpihana tētehi o ngā wātene tokoono ki te takiwā o te Tauranga Rau (Tauranga Hundred), i raro i te whakahaere rūnanga hou a Kāwana Hōri Kerei (George Grey). Ko ia tētehi o ngā kaiwhakahaere mō te ope kātipa, 40 te nui. Nō te mea ko ia anake te wātene i Maketū motuhake ka karangatia a ia ko te haihana meiha o ngā pirihimana. Nō te 6 o Hānuere 1864, ka tāpiritia atu e ia te tūnga o te āpiha ārai ki āna mahi.
I te tekau tau atu i 1860 he ruarua noa iho ngā pirihimana Māori e whai mana ana i runga i te Pākehā me te Māori ngātahi, ā, ko Tāpihana tētehi. Na, i te tau 1864, nō te tukinga o Maketū e ngā taua e ātete ana ki te kāwanatanga, ka tāwhai pērā atu a ia mā te one ki Tauranga ki te tiki whai taua, heoi ka mau hereheretia i runga i te whakaaro o ērā he tūtei kē a ia; otirā, tere tonu te tukunga i a ia. Nō taua tau anō ka uru atu a ia ki te Ope Hōia Māori o te Ope Hōia o te Koroni (Colonial Defence Force) i Te Rotoiti, ā, nō te tau 1871 ka whakawhiwhia a ia ki te Mētara o Niu Tīreni mō Tūmatauenga (New Zealand War Medal) mō ēnei mahi āna.
I mahi haere tonu a Tāpihana hei kātipa Māori i te Tari Māori tae atu ana ki te tekau tau mai i 1880. Nā te mea he kaiārahi a ia mō Ngāti Whakaue, ka noho ko ia tētehi o ngā kaihaina o te kirimini o 1880 e here ana i te Karauna ki te tuarā i ngā mahi mō te whakatupu i te tāone e mōhiotia nei ko Rotorua. Ko ia anō hoki tētehi o ngā kaiwhiriwhiri nā ā rātau whakawhitiwhiti whakaaro i tae atu ai te huarahi tereina ki Rotorua i te tekau tau mai i 1880. I roto i ngā tau mate kai, pōhara hoki, e mōhiotia ana ia mō tōna ngākau atawhai ki te hoko i ōna ake whenua hei whāngai i tōna iwi mate kai o Ngāti Whakaue. Ka noho nā hei tangata i tino kaingākautia e ōna iwi kāinga o Maketū me Ōhinemutu, ā, tae noa ki te wā o tōna matenga i te 21 o Āperira 1913.
He ōrite te mana o Ngātai Tāpihana ki tērā o ngā tāne o tōna whakatupuranga, nā runga i te whakaaro nui o Ngāti Whakaue ki a ia me tōna kama ki te uru atu ki ngā mahi a te iwi. Ko ia nei tētehi o ngā wāhine Māori ruarua nei i whai kupu ki te aroaro o ētehi nohoanga o te Kōti Whenua Māori o Te Arawa. He maha ōna pānga i roto i te nuinga o ngā poraka whenua rahi o te rohe o Te Arawa. I te tekau tau atu i 1920 ka tukua e ia ngā moni i puta ake i tana hokonga i ētahi pānga ōna i tētehi poraka whenua hei hoko papa mai, hei hanga i te whare nui o Te Arawa, i a Whakaue. I kawaina te whare i Āperira o 1928, ēngari nō muri kē mai tēnei i tōna matenga i Maketū i Hānuere o taua tau. I nehua a Ngātai ki te taha tonu o Retireti i Wharekahu, te urupā o te whānau kei Maketū.