Ko Korokī Te Rata Mahuta Pōtatau Te Wherowhero te mātāmua o ngā tama tokorua a Te Rata, te Kīngi Māori tuawhā o Ngāti Mahuta. Nō Ngāti Korokī tōna whaea a Te Uranga, ā, nō te tupuna tuatahi mai o tōna hapū te īngoa o Korokī. I whānau a Korokī Te Rata ki Waahi i te tau 1908 pea, i 1909 rānei. I tōna taiohinga, he tangata whakamā, nguengue hoki; hipa noa atu tana teina, a Taipū, i a ia. Pau katoa ngā tūmanako ki a Taipū, i tukua nei ki Paerata (Wesley College) i Tāmaki-makau-rau (Auckland). Kāore i roa i muri i te taenga atu, ka mate. E ai ki ngā whakaaturanga, nō te tau 1915 ka haere a Korokī ki te kura o Rāhui Pōkeka (Huntly) mō tētehi wā poto. Ko te kī a Areka (Alex) McKay, nāna tonu i ako a Korokī ki te tuhituhi me te pānui Māori i te tau 1937, ā, i haere hoki a Korokī ki ngā kaupapa ako mātauranga ki ngā pakeke, ko Maharaia Winiata te kaiwhakahaere. Nā te mea kāore anō ia kia pakari noa i māharahara ai a Korokī ki te tika ōna kia tū hei kīngi. Nā tēnei whakaaro ka ngana kia whai mātauranga ngā ariki whakakī i te whārua o te Kīngitanga. Nōna ka pakeke, ko tāna mahi nui he pānui i ngā kōrero Māori, me ngā kōrero Pākehā hoki.
E taitamariki tonu ana, ka puta tōna māia ki ngā mahi whakatikatika mīhini, ā, mehemea kāore a ia i tohua hei kīngi ā tōna wā, koinei kē te mahi ka whāia e ia. He tangata pai ia ki ngā mahi puoro, whai wāhi hoki ki tētehi pēne, me tana pai anō ki te purei whutupaoro. I te tekau tau pea o te 1920, ka piri rāua ko Te Paea Te Raihe, ka puta he tamāhine mā rāua. Nō te takiwā o te tau 1930, i taumautia ia e Te Puea Hērangi ki a Te Ātairangikaahu, he tamāhine nā Wanakore Hērangi, hei tungāne rā ki a Te Puea. Ka whānau tā rāua tamāhine a Piki i Hūrae o te tau 1931. Nō muri nei ka riro i a Piki te īngoa o tōna whaea hei īngoa ariki mōna. Nō te tau 1939 i riro a Robert Te Kotahi Mahuta hei tamaiti whāngai mā rāua. I Waahi, i te kaokao tonu o Rāhui Pōkeka, a Korokī rātou ko tōna whānau e taki noho ana.
I te 1 o Oketopa i te tau 1933 ka mate a Te Rata, te matua o Korokī. Ka auē a ia ki a Te Puea kia kaua e tukua ko ia hei noho i te ahurewa o tōna matua: ki ōna whakaaro, kāore ia i tika mō tērā tūranga, ā, nā te tino pōhara o tōna iwi e kore e taea e rātou te mau tērā tūranga. He pērā anō āna kōrero āwangawanga ki a Pei Te Hurinui Jones. Ēngari nō te tangihanga o Te Rata, kotahi tonu te reo o ngā rangatira o te motu, me haere tonu te Kīngitanga, ā, tautoko ana rātou kia tū ko Korokī hei whakakapi. Nā Apirana Ngata rāua ko Pei Te Hurinui me ētehi atu i whakakīkī a Korokī kia nohoia e ia te ahurewa, hei tohu mō te mana o te iwi Māori. Nā Pei Te Hurinui i whakatūturu tana tautoko i a Korokī. Nō konei te tīmatanga o te noho a Pei Te Hurinui hei whakairinga whakaaro, hei taituarā hoki mō Korokī. Arā atu tētehi, ko te tohunga whakairo nei ko Piri Poutapu, taihoa ka tū ko ia hei hēkeretari mā Korokī.
Nō te 8 o Oketopa i te tau 1933 – te rā i nehua ai a Te Rata – ka whakawahia a Korokī. Ka hokona mai e Te Puea ngā pūeru e tika ana mō tōna tūranga kīngi, utua ana e ia ngā nama ruarua nei a tōna matua, ka pēketia £100 hei pūtea tīmatanga māna.
I ana tau tuatahi i noho ia hei Kīngi, ko ōna mātua kēkē, ko Tūmate rāua ko Tonga Mahuta – āpiti atu ki te kaumātua o te whānau, ki a Haunui Tāwhiao – ōna kaitohutohu. Ki ana kaumātua, he whanaunga tata nōna, ko te 'boy' tonu te īngoa o Korokī. He kaupapa anō tā Tūmate rāua ko Tonga mō te Kīngitanga. Ki a rāua, ko Waahi kē te tūrangawaewae tika mōna. He kaupapa anō hoki tā Haunui. I te mea he pononga ia nā T. W. Rātana, ka whakakīkīa e ia a Korokī kia haere ki te pā o Rātana hei hui tuatahi tēnei māna ka kīngi nei. Nā Piupiu Te Wherowhero, he teina ki a Te Puea, i tautoko te take nei. Ko tā Te Puea tohe, he tō mai i a Korokī i te kaupapa a Rātana, kia tutuki ai ōna whakaaro ki te whakaara ake, whakahoki anō hoki i te Kīngitanga ki te marae o Ngāruawāhia. Kei reira anō hoki te rōpū a Tarapīpipi Taingākawa Te Waharoa e mahi mai ana i tana mahi tumuaki i Rukumoana, he tūrangawaewae nō Ngāti Hauā kei Mōrena (Morrinsville). Ina koa ko ia te mea tuatoru o ngā kaiwhakawahi kīngi, ko tana kaupapa kē he whakatū i a ia – hei tūranga tuku iho – hei Tumuaki mō te Kīngitanga Māori o Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu.
Ka tau te kōrero a te Kāhui Ariki kia tū a Korokī i tahaki o ngā take tōrangapū. Ēngari ko ngā kaupapa tōrangapū katoa i mahia i raro i tōna mana, ā, mātua rawa māna e whakaae, ko tōna kanohi rānei e kitea, kātahi anō ka mana aua kaupapa. I ana tau tuatahi, he kukume kē tā tēnā kaumātua, he kukume kē tā tēnā. I tētehi o ngā hui koroneihana tuatahi i Waahi – i konei katoa ngā koroneihana i te wā i a Korokī – ka rere te kupu a Haunui Tāwhiao kia matangaro a Korokī i te marae. Ka rere ko tā Te Puea kupu ki a Korokī pēnei: 'ki te kore he iwi, he aha hoki te take o te Kīngi. I haere mai te iwi ki te whakanui i a koe. Ko tāu kē he whakanui i te iwi.' Me haere a Korokī ka tika.
He nui ngā raruraru. Arā tētehi ko tana whakatōngā ki te tautoko i te kaupapa whakatau i ngā whenua raupatu o Waikato, i kawea ai e Tūmate i te tau 1938. Ahakoa te hinga atu o tōna ngākau ki a Tūmate, me tautoko hoki ia i te Tumuaki me tōna Kauhanganui i Rukumoana. Nā ngā Kīngi o mua atu i a Korokī tēnei tikanga, ā, me whai anō hoki a ia i tā rātou i waiho ake ai. Taea ana hoki e te Tumuaki tāna kaupapa te whakamana, arā, te kiko o ngā tono a te Kīngitanga, nō te mea kua tae ake nei a Korokī ki Rukumoana.
Mai i tōna nohoanga hei Kīngi, pau katoa te wā ki ngā kaupapa me ngā haere tairangi. I Tūrangawaewae, ka noho ia ki te whakarangatira i āna manuhiri, i ngā rangatira mana nui, i ngā kāhui ariki o ngā moutere o Te Moananui-a-Kiwa, i ngā Kāwana Tianara, i ngā Pirimia, i ngā Minita a te Karauna me ngā āpiha haumi i te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao. Nāna te mahi ki te hāereere ki ngā poukai (ngā hui i ngā marae o te Kīngitanga hei whakawhanaunga, hei whakatau hoki i ngā koha mai a te iwi ki te Kīngitanga). He kanohi kitea a Korokī i ngā tangihanga o ngā kaumātua o te Rohe Pōtae, o Waikato, o Ngāti Maniapoto, ā, karangatia a ia hei manuhiri i te maha o ngā hui i ētehi atu rohe ā-iwi. I tae ia ki te whakanui i te Whare Tiriti i Waitangi i te tau 1934. Mamae ana te utu o ēnei tūmomo kaupapa, ā, he wā anō kua puta te whakamā i te kore moni.
Ehara i te mea i tutuki pai katoa ēnei kaupapa, ā, he nui tonu ngā hui i katia ai a Korokī e ōna pakeke. I Ōtaki, ka puta ngā whiuwhiu kupu ki te kōrero i te tika, i te hē rānei, o te tuku i te Kīngi kia hīkoi i raro i te pare o te kūaha i whakairotia ai he wahine, e kūwhera ana ōna kūhā me te kitea atu o te puapua. Ko ōna kaumātua o Ngāti Raukawa rāua ko Waikato kore rawa i whakaae. Kei reira hoki ngā kaiwhakairo e whakamataku ana i ngā mea whakahē ki te tapu me te utu, ina unuhia te pare, ina whakarerekētia rānei. I konei ka tipu te kōrero paki. Ko tētehi kōrero e kī ana, i kuhu kē mai a Korokī mā te matapihi o muri i te whare. He kōrero anō e kī ana, i kuhu tonu atu ia mā te kūaha, i te mea he tipuna nōna te wahine e mau mai rā i te pare, ā, me pēhea hoki e noa ai tōna mana. Kāore a ia i haere ki te whakatutuki i te tono a Te Tai Rāwhiti ki te whakatuwhera i te whare o Wī Pōtae i Tokomaru i te tau 1934; kāore hoki ia i haere ki te whakatuwhera i te whare i Ōhinemutu i te tau 1942. E rua ēnei whare i tonoa kētia mā ētehi atu iwi e whakatuwhera, kāore mā te Kīngi. Koirā a Korokī i kore ai e haere.
Ko te nuinga o ngā raruraru o te Kīngitanga i raro i a Korokī, i pā ki te pupuri i te mana o te Kīngitanga, ki te ngana hoki kia tautokona taua mana e te Pākehā me ngā iwi Māori i waho o te Kīngitanga. He wā anō kua tautokona, mea rawa ake, kua kore e tautokona, piki ai, heke ai. I te tau 1933 – i muri mai o te hinganga o Te Hōrana (Harry Holland) i te nehu o Te Rata – ka tukua e ngā mema o te Rōpū Reipa he reta ki a 'Kīngi Korokī' e mihi ana ki te manaaki a Waikato i a Te Hōrana. I Waitangi, ka puta te kupu rangatira a te Kāwana Tianara, a Rōre Bledisloe, ki a Korokī mō tana hiahia kia noho a Korokī hei ūpoko mō tōna iwi. Haukotia ana e ngā kupu a Āpirana Ngata me ētehi atu rangatira Māori, i a rātou i kī ai kei a Waikato te tikanga mō te īngoa ka whakairia ki runga i tō rātou ariki, ēngari kaua rawa e whakapātari i te mana o te Karauna o Peretānia, i te mana rānei o te Pāremata o Niu Tīreni. I te tau 1939, kore rawa te kāwanatanga i whakaae kia whakawāteatia a Korokī rāua ko tōna hoa wahine i te rēhita o ngā ture penihana. I te tau 1946, ka puta te kōrero a te Pirimia, a Pita Pereiha (Peter Fraser), kāore e whakaaetia he māngai mō Korokī ki ngā rōpū o te ao, pērā i te Kotahitanga o Ngā Iwi o te Ao (United Nations).
I ngā tekau tau atu i te 1930 me 1940, ka pakangatia anō e Waikato te take raupatu i ō rātou whenua i te tekau tau atu i 1860. Ko te mana o Korokī me te whakatū tahua moni hei whakahaere tika i te Kīngitanga, te pūtake nui o aua pakanga. Nō te tau 1946, i tukua hoki tā rātou tono kia whakaturea te mana o Korokī. Hoki mai ana te utu a Pita Pereiha, arā, e kī ana, kāore i kitea e ia he iwi o waho atu o Tainui e tautoko ana i te take nei. Nō te aranga ake o te Poari Kaitiaki Māori o Tainui (Tainui Māori Trust Board) i te tau 1946, kātahi anō ka puta he pūtea ki a Korokī hei utu i ngā pīkaunga o te Kīngitanga.
I te tau 1948, ka puta ngā tono kia whakahaeretia he whakataunga ā-iwi e kitea ai mehemea ka whakaaetia te hoko waipiro ki te Rohe Pōtae. Kua takoto kē te oati ā-waha a te Pirimia, a Te Taute (Robert Stout) ki a Ngāti Maniapoto i te tau 1885, kia whakatapua te waipiro ki te Rohe Pōtae. Ko te utu, ko te whakaae a Ngāti Maniapoto kia huakina te rohe ki te rerewē me ētehi atu kaupapa ahu. Whai kē ana a Korokī i tā Pei Te Hurinui, me mātua puta he hua pai ki ngā rōpū toko i te ora o te Rohe Pōtae, i mua o te whakaaetanga i ngā raihana hoko waipiro. Heoi anō, ka whakaaetia e ia kia tū hei kaihautū mō te rōpū nā rātou i tono kia mau tonu te aukati. Nō te 30 o Maehe i te tau 1949 i kawea e Korokī rātou ko tana rahi – 600 te tokomaha – te petihana ki a Te Pereiha, e kī ana kia whakatapua tonutia te waipiro. Ka manaakitia rātou, ka whāngaia ki te kapu tī, 'ko te rahurahu kei raro'. Ēngari, tae rawa ake ki te tau 1954, kua 'mākū' kē te Rohe Pōtae.
I ētehi wā kāore a Korokī rātou ko tōna whānau i whakaae kia haere ki ngā hui pōhiri ki te kāhui ariki o te Kīngitanga o Peretānia i Rotorua. E ai ki ngā whakamārama a Te Puea ki a Eriki (Eric) Ramsden, kāore i tika kia haere rātou ki ngā marae o ētehi atu iwi pōhiri ai i te manuhiri, ēngari e ai ki ngā tikanga a Tainui, me pōhiri kē i runga i ngā marae tonu o Waikato. Koinei te whakaaro i te tau 1952, i te pōhiritanga i a Kuini Riripeti Te Tuarua kia peka ki Tūrangawaewae. I tukua anō te pōhiri i te tau 1953. Uaua ana te ū ki uta, ā, kia tū tonu te kaupapa ki mua i te ihu, kātahi anō ka whakaaetia kia peka atu a Riripeti mō tētehi wā poto i te 30 o Tīhema 1953. Ko te hiahia o Korokī, he tuku i ētehi kupu whakanui i te Kuini, i tuhia e Pei Te Hurinui. Kāore i whakaaetia. Kātahi ka tukua he pepa me te hīra a te Kīngitanga e mau nei ngā kōrero a Korokī. I roto i tēnei pepa e takoto ana te koropiko tuatahi a te Kīngi Māori ki te Karauna o Peretānia, i runga i te kupu oati.
Nō te matenga o mua atu o ōna mātua kēkē, me te matenga hoki o Te Puea i te tau 1952, ia rā, ia rā haere mai ai a Korokī i Waahi ki Ngāruawāhia mahi ai, ko Tūrongo tōna whare noho. Nā ōna kaumātua anō i tono kia neke ia ki reira. Nō te whakapaunga o te tekau tau atu i 1950, ka tīmata te heke haere o tana ora. Ahakoa, ka mau tonu ōna taringa ki ngā nekeneke o te wā, ā, i rapua tonutia hoki ōna whakaaro, ēngari ko te mutunga atu, matangaro kē ana ia i te tirohanga kanohi. I ngā tau atu i 1960, ko ana māngai kōrero ko Pei Te Hurinui, ko tōna hoa wahine ko Te Ātairangikaahu, ko tana hēkeretari ko Piri Poutapu me ētehi atu, tae atu ki tana whakakapi ki a Piki. Nō te 18 o Mei i te tau 1966, ka mate a Korokī ki Ngāruawāhia. Ka whakanohoia a Piki – ko Te Arikinui, ko Te Ātairangikaahu ngā īngoa – ki runga i te ahurewa tapu, i ngā hāora ruarua i mua atu i te nehunga i a Korokī i Taupiri, i te 23 o Mei 1966.