Me ka kōrerorero nei ngā hōia o te Rōpū Paionia o Niu Tīreni, arā, nō muri mai i whakaīngoatia ko Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū (New Zealand Pioneer Battalion) mō tā rātau 'Padre' mō Hēnare Wēpiha Te Wainohu, pupū tonu ana te aroha mōna. Heipū tonu te ngākaunuitia o Te Wainohu e ngā hōia Māori i a ia e noho minita ana ki a rātau i te wā o te Pakanga Tuatahi o te Ao. Nāna rātau i ārahi, i whakaū hoki te taha wairua me te taha iwi hoki o ngā taitama rā, i te wā e wehe atu ana rātau i te iwi kāinga, e anga atu ana ki te mura o te ahi.

I whānau a Hēnare Wēpiha Te Wainohu i Mōhaka, ki Te Matau-a-Māui (Hawke's Bay), i te 4 o Hune o te tau 1882. Nō Ngāti Pāhauwera me Ngāti Kurahikakawa tōna papa a Wēpiha Te Wainohu, he uri whakaheke mai i a Kahungunu rāua ko Te Huki. Nō te hapū o Ngāi Tuhemata tōna whaea a Para Te Aho. He tuakana nōna a Pāora Tukutuku, ā, he tuahine nōna a Neti Waikōuka. I whakatipua ia i runga i tā rātau pāmu mahi hipi, mahi miraka kau hoki i Mōhaka. Nō te tau 1896, ka tae a Hēnare Te Wainohu ki te Kāreti o Te Aute, kura ai.

I taua wā nei, e tupu rearea ana i te kura he momo kaupapa whakaora i te whakapono. Kia tae ki ngā whakataetae whutupaoro me ngā hui noa iho nei, ka whakarērea ā rātau ake waiata, kua waiata kē i ngā hīmene; nā ētahi anō i whakatū tētahi Uniana Karaitiana mō ngā ākonga, ā, noho ana ētahi o ngā mema ki te kauwhau i te karaipiture, tae atu ki te whakahouanga hoki i te taha pāpori. He whakahē nō ētahi o ngā tauira i te kaupapa whakaora nei, kātahi ka hangaia he rōpū kē atu, ā, tapaina ana ko te rōpū a ngā 'Tikōti' (Tikōti Gang, arā, te rōpū a Te Kooti). Ko Hēnare Te Wainohu tonu tētahi o ngā kaihautū. Ko tā te rōpū nei, he pupuri kia mau ki ngā tikanga Māori tuku iho e kawea nei e te Hauhau, pare atu i te nuinga o ngā tikanga Karaitiana. I te tīmatanga, e hia kē nei ngā tauira i akiākina e rātau kia kuhu mai, ēngari nō muri nei, i hinga katoa atu rātau – tae atu hoki ki a Te Wainohu – ki te Uniana Karaitiana a ngā ākonga.

I tua atu i te whakapono Karaitiana i mau mārika i a ia i Te Aute, tērā atu ngā painga i whiwhi a Te Wainohu, hei whakaū i a ia mō te wā i minita a ia. He tino toa nei ia ki te whutupaoro; nōna ka takatū i runga i te papa tākaro, ka mōhio ia me mau tonu tana whakatūpato haere i a ia, me tana mōhio anō ki te mahi tahi. I te taenga mai o te tīma o ngā kura tuarua o Te Waipounamu e tawhio haere ana i te tau 1898, ko ia tonu tētahi o ngā tino toa o te tīma i tino mate i a rātau a Te Waipounamu. Kāti tonu i te haka i runga i te papa tākaro, tae atu ki ngā whakangahau o muri, nāna anō i taki. Nā tana toa ki te whutupaoro, me tana manawanui hoki ka tapaina ia e ōna hoa ki te īngoa kārangaranga, ki a 'Taika' (tiger). I a ia i te kura, ko ōna hoa anō i reira, ko rātau anō e whakahoahoa ana i te wā i te pae o te pakanga.

I a Te Wainohu i haere ki tētahi hui i Tūranga (Gisborne) i te tau 1901, ka whakaaro ia ki te haere ki te kite i ōna hoa i kuraina ai rātau i Te Aute, arā, i a Poihipi Kōhere, i a Tūrei Parāone me R. Hiwinui e taki ako ana i te Kāreti o Te Rau Kahikatea (Te Rau Theological College). He mea whakapatipati e rātau, ka whakaae ia ki te whakauru i a ia ki reira, akona ai. Nōna i reira, ka whakawhānuitia tōna mātauranga, ka mutu, ka ako ia kia mārama tonu nei tana kōrero i te reo Pākehā; āpiti atu ki tēnā, ko tana whiwhi anō hoki i ngā tohu mātauranga mō te whakaakoranga atua. I whakawahia ia hei rīkona i te 30 o Hepetema i 1906; nōna e mahi ana i Te Wairoa, he mea ārahi a ia e te minita rā, e Āperahama Tamihere, ā, whakatapua ana a ia hei pirihi i te 21 o Tīhema i te tau 1908. Kātahi ia ka noho hei pirihi mō te rohe Māori o Te Wairoa. I moe ia i a Ērena Kīngi, ēngari kāre i whiwhi tamariki.

I te pakarutanga mai o te Pakanga Tuatahi, i whakaurua atu a Te Wainohu ki te tari mō ngā minita o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Chaplains Department). I whakaīngoatia ia hei minita mō te Ope Taua Māori i rere mā runga i te kaipuke hari hōia, i te Warrimoo atu i Aotearoa ki Īhipa i te 14 o Pēpuere i te tau 1915. Nō te tīmatanga, kāore i tika ki te kāwanatanga kia tukua ngā hōia Māori ki te whawhai; heoi, e hia kē nei ngā marama e whakaako ana i Īhipa me te tiaki anō i te puni hōia i Merita (Malta), ka tīmata te kārangirangi. Mea rawa ake, kua tonoa te Ope Taua Māori hei whakapūmau i te kaha o ngā hōia o Aotearoa i Karipori (Gallipoli); nō te marama o Hūrae o te tau 1915, ka tae atu. Rokohanga i te riri i Sari Bair i te 6 o Ākuhata, tomokia ana e rātau te mura o te ahi i te taha o ō rātau hoa Pākehā. Nō te wā i mua tonu i te pakanga, ka tū atu a Te Wainohu ki te kauwhau; whāia nō muri mai, ka tīkina atu aua kōrero rā hei take whakahuahua haere, hei kaupapa whakataukī hoki. I tohutohua e ia ngā hōia kia māia tonu ki te whawhai, kia kaua e huri te tuarā ki te hoariri me te whakamahara hoki i a rātau ki te hāpai tonu i ngā tikanga toa a te Māori; hei whakamaumahara anō māna i a rātau, i te pō haere ake nei, ka noho ko rātau hei puri i te mana, i te hōnore me te īngoa pai o te iwi Māori. Nā tāna i tino inoi ai, i manawanui ai ngā hōia.

E hia kē nei te tata hemo nei o Te Wainohu i Karipori mō ōna hoa te take. I te nui o te wā, e rere ana te matā, kei reira ia i te taha o te āpiha tākuta, i a Meiha Te Rangi Hīroa (Peter Buck), e harihari wai ana, e waha mai ana i ngā taotū, e whakaahuru ana rānei i te hunga e kumea ana ki te pō. Nō Hepetema o te tau 1915, i taotū ai tōna tuarā. I te whakatahinga mai i Karipori, ka hoki a Te Wainohu ki Parani i te taha o te Rōpū Paionia o Niu Tīreni, he mea whakauru atu rā te Ope Taua Māori ki roto.

I te wā o te pakanga ka tāngia i te nūpepa Māori, i Te Kōpara ētahi o ngā reta a Te Wainohu i tukua atu e ia ki te hau kāinga. I tētahi o ngā tānga ka whakahokia e ia te amuamu, inarā, he mea whakawehewehe haere kē ngā hōia Māori ki tēnā paratunu, ki tēnā paratunu, kātahi ka whakamahia ki te whawhai ake i roto i ngā matua Pākehā. Ahakoa tā rāua kī atu ko Te Rangi Hīroa ki a Tianara Kōtare (A. J. Godley) i te tau 1915, kia waihotia te Ope Taua Māori kia noho tahi tonu, ko te whakautu a tērā, e kore e taea tā te mea he takitahi noa ngā āpiha e matatau ana. Nō roto i ētahi o ngā reta, i kitea te āwangawanga o Te Wainohu ki te taha wairua me te taha whanonga o ngā hōia Māori; ko tāna i tino mānukanuka ai, ko ngā hōia i Ingarangi e whakaakona ana, he wā nei kāre kau ō rātau minita ake. I tautoko rawa atu ia i te tānga o ngā pukapuka karakia ki roto i te reo Māori, ā, ka tae haere ki te mutunga o te pakanga, ka haere ia ki te kite i ngā tūroro i roto i ngā hōhipera i Rānana (London). E hia nei ngā mētara i riro mai i a ia, arā, ko tētahi ko te tohu whakahōnore Ēkara Mā o Hēwia (Serbian Order of the White Eagle) o te rārangi tuarima, ā, i a ia i Parani i te tau 1918, ka ūhia atu hoki ki te pānui i roto i ngā whakatakataka.

Nō Hēnare Wēpiha Te Wainohu ka hoki mai ki Aotearoa, ka mahi ia i te rohe Māori o Te Wairoa i Te Matau-a-Māui. Ko tana mahi he hāpai kaupapa whakaemi moni hei painga mō ngā hōia me ō rātau whānau. Ka mutu, i kitea whānuitia ia i roto i ngā hui nui i te tau 1919. Toru tekau mā waru noa iho te pakeke ka pāngia ia e te mate pukupuku, ka mate i te 1 o Oketopa o te tau 1920. Ka mahue iho ko tana wahine. Kei Te Wairoa te whakapakoko o Te Wainohu e tū ana, ā, nō te 16 o Hānuere o te tau 1924, ka riro nā Te Rangi Hīroa i hura. Nā te ātirīkona o Waiapu, nā Hāpata Wiremu (Herbert Williams) te karakia i whakahaere. Ko te mano tangata tonu i tae atu, āpiti atu ki a Apirana Ngata rāua ko Tā Timi Kara (James Carroll). Nā te tere mate, i moumou noa tēnei kaihautū matatau, matatika hoki, ngaro noa ana i te Hāhi Mihinare me te iwi Māori, i te wā e hiahiatia ana te momo tangata pērā te mōhio.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Grant Nikora Wainohu. 'Te Wainohu, Hēnare Wēpiha', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1996. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/3t23/te-wainohu-henare-wepiha (accessed 17 April 2024)