Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Cherrington, Te Paea
1877/1878?–1937
Nō Ngā Puhi; he wahine whai mana
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Hotu Te Kuru, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1996. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Ko Te Paea te tamāhine pakeke a Hēmi Tonoriri Kīngi rāua ko Ākinihi Ngaro Parāone (Brown). I heke mai te matua o Hēmi i a Te Whareumu o Ngāti Manu, e kīia nei ko Ngāpuhi i nāianei. Ko tōna whaea, ko Ākinihi anō te mea pakeke o ngā tamāhine a Hōne rāua ko Rīria Parāone. He uri ngātahi ōna mātua nō Te Ruki Kawiti o Ngāti Hine. Tokorima ngā tēina o Rīria, ā, tokotoru ōna tungāne; i moe katoa rātou ki ngā whānau rangatira o te raki.
Nō te tau 1877, 1878 pea i whānau ai a Te Paea i te kāinga itiiti nei o Ōtira e tata ana ki Whāngārei, te wāhi i reira nei ōna mātua e mahi pāmu ana. Nō te 17 o Noema 1878 i iriiria ai a Te Paea. Pau noa te nuinga o tōna taitamarikitanga e āwhina ana i ngā mahi pāmu, e tiaki ana hoki i ōna tēina rātou ko ōna tungāne. He nui te whenua ki ngā mātua o Te Paea, ēngari kei wāhi kē, kei wāhi kē. Koirā te take i neke haere ai te whānau ki Porotī, ki Ōtīria, ki Ngāraratunua me Glenbervie. Nāwai rā ka pū ake te aroha o Te Paea ki tōna iwi, ki te whenua anō hoki. He wahine pukumahi a Te Paea, he niwha, he pūkeke. E rua ngā mea tino nui ki a ia, ko ōna kaumātua ka tahi, ko te Hāhi Mihinare ka rua.
Nō te takiwā o te tau 1898 pea, ka moe a Te Paea i a Wiremu Hōne Keretone Keretene, (Cherrington). Ina pea ko Wiremu tonu te mea tuatahi o Ngāti Hine i whakawahia hei minita mō te Hāhi Mihinare i te tau 1903. Tokoono ā rāua tama, arā, ko Hōri Winiana, ko Hāmuera Rakuraku Tāwaewae, ko Tāmati, ko Mataki, ko Hōtorene me Hēmi Tonoriri. Tokorua ā rāua tamāhine, ko Darling rāua ko Wikitōria. I mate wawe a Tāmati rātou ko Darling, ko Hāmuera. Nā ngā mahi mihinare a Wiremu, i huhua ai ngā kāinga i nōhia e rātou, mai i Te Tai Tokerau ki Ākarana (Auckland), tae atu hoki ki ngā takiwā o Tūranga (Gisborne). Na, i tere te mōhio o Te Paea rāua ko tōna hoa ki ngā painga o te whai i te mātauranga, ka tukua e rāua ā rāua tamariki ki ngā kura noho kāinga akona ai, arā, ko Wikitōria i tukua ki te Kura o Kuini Wikitōria mō ngā Kōtiro Māori; ko te nuinga o ā rāua tama i tukua ki te Kura o Tīpene kura ai. Hāunga rā a Hōri, i noho tonu ia hei kaimahi i runga i tā rātou pāmu, ko te take pea kia noho wātea tonu ai tana matua ki āna mahi mihinare.
He wahine whai painga rawa atu a Te Paea ki ngā kōti me ōna whanaunga hoki, e pā ana ki ngā mahi whaihanga whenua, arā, ko te take hoki he mōhio nōna ki te nuinga o ngā tāngata nō rātou ngā whenua. He whakautiuti te tiaki a Te Paea i te rārangi īngoa mō ōna ake whenua me ērā anō o ōna whanaunga, ā, i te wā e whakaūngia ana ngā roherohenga whenua, tēnā mōhio ana ia kua aurara te tangata ki ōna whenua, kāhore a ia i whakaroaroa ki te neke i ngā pou rūri. I roto anō a Te Paea i ngā kaupapa ahu whenua a Apirana Ngata, ā, nāna i āwhina ngā mahi whakariterite i ngā taitara mō te poraka o Mōtatau. Ko tētahi mea i ngākau nuitia e ia, ko te tiaki i ngā wāhi tapu.
Nō te tau 1920 i huri ai tana tungāne a Rēweti ki te Hāhi Rātana. Nō muri mai i tētahi rīriritanga a te whānau, ka mea a Rēweti ki te hoko i ōna pānga whenua i Ngāraratunua. E taea ai e Te Paea te hoko mai ngā whenua o tōna tungāne, ka hokona katoatia atu e ia ōna whenua i Porotī. He mea tāpiri atu ki ētahi moni a tōna whānau, kātahi ka riro mai i a ia te whenua o Rēweti me te urupā hoki i runga i taua whenua. Nō muri i tā rāua kōrero tahitanga ko tana tāne me ōna whanaunga o te kāinga, ka tau tā rātou whakarite me whakatū he whare karakia mō te whānau i te urupā tonu. Nā te whānau a Wiremu Keretone e noho mai rā i Ōrauta e tata ana ki Ōtīria ngā rākau; he mea tuku mai nā rātou ki Ngāraratunua mā runga rerewē.
Ki tōna iwi, ki tōna takiwā he wahine tino nui a Te Paea. He mema ia nō te Rōpū o Ngā Whāea (Mothers' Union), he rōpū hei whakatapu i te mārenatanga te kaupapa, me te whakaū hoki i te mahi a te whaea ki te whakapakari i te toiora wairua o tana tamaiti. I ngā tau pokapū o 1930, 30 ngā peka o te rōpū nei nā Te Paea i whakatū ki Te Tai Tokerau. Mai i te tau 1935 ko ia te perehitini rēhita mema mō te peka o te rōpū i Whāngārei, ā, i noho anō hoki ia hei tumuaki mō taua peka. Nāna i whakatū te Komiti Wāhine o Ngāti Kahu, hei whāriki mō ngā rohe o Ngāraratunua, o Glenbervie, o Kamo, o Mōtatau, o Ōtīria me Oromāhoe. Ko tā taua komiti nei he tiro i ngā take whānui tonu e pā ana ki te hauora, ki te oranga pai me ngā take whenua o te iwi. I whai anō hoki ngā mea tamariki o te whānau a Te Paea ki te kawe i ngā mahi i mahia e ia.
Nā te kaha tonu o tōna mana, i rapu tonu ai te tangata i ōna whakaaro, ā, i whirinaki nui ai te tangata ki a Te Paea mō ngā take whenua, ngā take mārena me ngā kōrero mō te wairua. Nōna ka kuikuia haere, ka rahi te hanga o te tinana. Ki tōna whānau, arā, ki ōna tungāne tonu, ko ia tonu te ture. Nō te 30 o Hepetema 1937 i mate ai a Te Paea i tōna kāinga ake i Ngāraratunua. Koia tēnei te wāhi i tāpukea ia i te taha o ōna mātua me ōna puninga tahi, arā, i te kōpū o te whenua i arohaina rā, i whawhaitia rā e ia kia mau. Kei konei anō hoki e takoto ana āna tamariki me te tini o āna mokopuna. I te otinga o tētahi whare whakamaharatanga ki ngā hōia, ka tapaina ko Te Paea.