Nō te 2 o Oketopa o te tau 1897 i whānau ai a Rona Marjory Hamutana (Hamilton) i Tūranga (Gisborne). Ko ia tētahi o ngā tamariki tokoono a Pererika Hamutana (Frederick Orton Hamilton) rāua ko Ihipera Poata (Isabelle Porter). He māngai kōmihana nō tētahi kaihoko maitai te mahi a tōna pāpā. I te taha ki tōna kōkā hai mokopuna ia mā Kānara Rūtene Tāme Poata (Thomas Porter) rāua ko Herewaka Porourangi Pōtae, arā, ko Te Rangi-i-paea. Ko te tuakana o tōna kōkā ko te kaiwaiata kōnohete, kaitito waiata rā, ko Fanny Rose Howie. Nui kē atu te mōhio o te tangata ki a ia e mau nei ia i tōna īngoa whatārangi, arā, i a Pirinihi Te Rangi Pai. Ā mate noa a Rona tino mateohaoha tonu nei ia ki ana kōkā hinengaro pūkeke, kōkā pūmanawa, ā, mau tonu ai ō rāua whakaahua i tōna taha. Hoi anō, hai tā te wahine matua rā o tōna whakatupuranga, he wā anō nei a Rona e mau kē ake ana i te īngoa o tōna tupuna tuku iho ki a ia, arā, o Te Rangi-i-paea.
I te tau 1901 i whakatūria a Pererika Hamutana hai whakataka mō te umanga hokohoko a tōna pāpā, mō te Kamupene o E. Buxton, nuku ana te whānau ki Whakatū (Nelson), tōnui ai. Kaha ana te torotoro atu o te kamupene nei ki roto ki te mahi tauhou nei ki Whakatū, arā, te mahi tupeka. Hoi anō tā te kamupene hai kanohi tohutohu, kanohi whakatikatika mai i te taha moni mō te hunga e hiahia ana ki te whakatipu tupeka. Anā tonu tā Pererika he whakahauhau haere i te hunga ahu whenua o te rohe ki te whakatō tupeka, ā, tuari atu hoki i ngā kākano. Ahakoa rā te tamarikitanga tonu o Rona, waia noa mai ana ia ki te mahi whakatipu tupeka.
Atu i te tau 1910 ki 1913 i haere a Rona ki te kāreti mō ngā kōtiro o Whakatū (Nelson College for Girls). Hoi anō tāna anō i te kāinga he āwhina i ōna mātua ki te manaaki i ngā manuhiri taetae ake ki tō rātau whare, ina koa rā, ngā kamupene ōpera, ngā rōpū kōnohete, ngā tohunga pūtaiao me ērā atu anō o ngā tāngata rongonui. I te wā ka hararei nei ia i tō rātau nā kāinga i te kōawaawa i Maitai, pārekareka ana ki a rātau ko ngā tamariki katoa o te whānau a Hamutana te ekeeke hōiho, te whakangau poaka, te hopuhopu paihamu me te whaiwhai tia. Tāroaroa tonu nei te hanga o tana tupu, rangatira tonu te āhua. Ahakoa he wahine hoahoa, he wahine i tino mōhio ki tāna i pīrangi ai.
Ka mutu nei tana kura, i mua i tana hokinga atu ki tōna whānau i Whakatū, ka noho ia mō tētahi wā poto nei hai kaiwhakaako whakapakari tinana i tētahi kura kōtiro i Te Matau-a-Māui (Hawke's Bay). Nō te 15 o Tīhema i te tau 1921 ka moea e Rona a Daniel Hurley, he tangata mahi pāmu, puta ana wā rāua tamariki tokorua.
Tīmata ake te mahi a ngā tāhae nei, he hopu paihamu, he whakatipu hāpī, ā, nō muri mai i whakatipu tupeka ai i tētahi whenua i Neudorf kai te takiwā o Moutere i Whakatū. Nō te tau 1931 i hūnuku atu ai te whānau ki tētahi pāmu i Pangatōtara e pātata atu rā ki Motueka, ka noho tonu he mahi tupeka te mahi. I riro nā Rona tonu i whakahaere te mahi māhiti me te mahi hoko mai i ngā rau, riro ana tēnei ko ngā tupeka tuatahi i hokona atu ai i te rohe o Whakatū ki tāwāhi i te tau 1935 ki 1937. Nō te tau 1939 ki 1945 ka noho ia hai āpiha waerenga, hai kaihoko tupeka mō te umanga a Godfrey Philips (New Zealand) i Motueka.
Nō te marama o Oketopa 1944 i mate ohorere tana hoa tāne a Daniel Hurley. Mahue ake ana ko Rona me ana tamariki tāne, ko te mea pakeke e mahi ana i Ahitereiria, ko te mea paku i te kura tuatahi tonu. Ahakoa he kaimahi nei wāna i ētahi wā, riro ana ko Rona tonu i te whakahaere tonu i te pāmu i Pangatōtara, me te haere tonu hoki o tana mahi hoko tupeka. Waihoki rā, kua tino mōhio kē ia i nāianei ki ngā āhua katoa o te whakatipu tupeka. Tīmata ake ana te mahi a te kamupene tupeka a Hato Hēmi (St James Tobacco Company) o Aotearoa i te tau 1947, tīmata ake ana te mahi a Rona mā rātau, hai āpiha waerenga, hai tumuaki kaihoko rau nei te mahi, ā, mau tonu i a ia ēnei tūnga tae noa ki tana whakatānga i te tau 1964. I taua wā nei, ko te whakaaro, ko ia anake te wahine hokohoko tupeka o Aotearoa nei.
Ahakoa he tāne kē te nuinga o ngā tāngata i te mahi tupeka, kāre he rerekē o tērā ki a Rona, ā, ahakoa ko wai te hanga ā-iwi, māmā noa ki a ia te whakapāpā atu, te aha rānei. Mau tonu te whakanui a te tangata i a ia, he tino matatau nōna ki ngā āhua katoa o te mahi, te pai kē hoki ki te whakatipu, ki te hokohoko tupeka me te hāngai tonu o tana momo kōrero. I te wā i riro ai tēnei hai mahi māna, noho korara noa ana te hunga nā rātau i tīmata te mahi tupeka, tae noa mai ki te wā whakamīhinitia ana tēnei mahinga taiwhenua, ā, e whakaritea atu rā hoki te taha mākete. Nā kē atu hoki nā ngā whare umu perēki me ngā pārae tāwherawhera te tipu o te tupeka, me te aha anō motuhake ana tērā te pai o te āhua o te whaitua o Motueka. Pau noa te nuinga o ōna rā whakatā i te mahi i ngākaunuitia e ia, arā, te mahi kāri. Ka mutumutu haere nei ōna tau, i te ngoi tonu ōna whakaaro, hāngai tonu te puta o te kōrero. I noho tonu a Rona Hurley i tō rātau nā kāinga pāmu i Pangatōtara, ā mate noa ia i Motueka i 11 o Hune i te tau 1985.