I whānau mai a Wiremu Te Ranga Poutapu, ko tōna īngoa kārangaranga ko Piri (Bill), ki Maungatautari i Waikato i te 8 o Hune 1905. He uri ia nō Ngāti Korokī, tētehi o ngā iwi o Tainui. Ko Pouaka Winikerei tōna matua, he kāmura tana mahi, ā, ko Rangitaau Paraki tōna whaea. Nō te tau 1910, i neke atu te whānau ki Raungāwari, e pātata atu rā ki Pukekawa. I a ia e tamariki tonu ana i reira, ka taka a Piri Poutapu ki raro i te maru o Te Puea Hērangi, te rangatira taiohi o te iwi o Mangatāwhiri, he wāhi tata atu rā ki Te Paina (Mercer). Riro ana a ia hei tamaiti whāngai mā Te Puea, whai atu hoki i a ia ki te whakapono Pai Mārire, he mea whakahoki mai nei. I haere tahi hoki a Piri me Te Puea mā ki Ngāruawāhia i te tau 1921, ki reira whakatū ai i tētehi marae matua mō te Kīngitanga. Nā Piri i āwhina te mahi whakawātea i te papanga i te kōti me te parakipere, hei whakatū i ngā whare tuatahi, me tana mahi hoki ki te whakatakoto i te marae o Tūrangawaewae.
He mea pana tonu e Te Puea tōna iwi me āna tamariki ki te whakapakari, whakamahi hoki i ō rātau kaha. Ahakoa a Piri Poutapu i te mahi pāmu, mahi aha noa atu rā i a ia e taiohi ana, ka noho ko te mahi kāmura tana tino mahi, he mea ako tonu i a ia e mahi ana. Te āhua nei, ko tana mahi whakairo tuatahi ko te whare nui nei, ko Pare Waikato, nō Maehe o te tau 1927 i whakatuwheratia. I te tau 1928 atu ki 1929, i mahia e ia ngā whakairo mō te whare noho i Tūākau, tae atu ki te whare nui anō hoki o Māhinārangi i Tūrangawaewae.
Nō te tau 1929, i moe a Piri Poutapu i a Ngāmako Taupiri i Ngāruawāhia. E toru wiki i muri mai, i tonoa ia e Te Puea ki Ōhinemutu, ki te ako ki te whakairo i te Kura Whakairo (School of Māori Arts) i Ōhinemutu. E toru tau a Piri e akona ana e Eramiha Kapua ki ngā tikanga o te hahau i te rākau, o te whakairo, o te karakia me ngā tikanga anō hoki o te tapu e pā kau ana ki te mahi whakairo. Kāhore a Piri i pērā i ērā atu tohunga whakairo o tōna reanga whakataha noa i te tapu, pū mārika kē ana tana pupuri, waiho hei whakaako māna ki āna tauira. I a Piri i te kura i Ōhinemutu, āwhinatia ngātahitia ana e rāua ko te kaiwhakairo nei, ko Waka Kereama o Waikato, a Kapua rātou ko Pine Taiapa me tana teina, me Hōne Taiapa ki te whakairo i te whare nui nei, i a Te Hono ki Rarotonga, i te kokoru o Tokomaru i Te Tai Rāwhiti. Hei tā Hōne Taiapa, ko Poutapu tētehi o ngā kaiwhakairo tohunga rawa atu o te ao hou.
I te ekenga atu ki te tau 1932, kua hoki kē a Piri Poutapu ki Ngāruawāhia noho ai. Ina koa riro ana ko Piri tētehi o ngā kaitautāwhi pono piritahi a Te Puea. I whakatūria anō hoki e ia tētehi kura whakairo e āhua rite ana ki tō Ōhinemutu. Ko tētehi o ngā mahi tuatahi i oti i te kura nei ko te whakairo i te whare karakia Wēteriana i Kāwhia. Whakaakona ana e Piri te tini o te tangata ki te whakairo; ko tana tauira e tino mōhiotia ana ko Īnia Te Iwiata, i hau nei tōna rongo ki te ao whānui, arā, he kaiwaiata panguru, ā, waiata tonu mai anō hoki ia i raro i te īngoa o Īnia Te Wīata. Mai i te tau 1934, i whakahaerea e Poutapu rāua ko Rāwiri Tūmōkai Kātipa (arā, te tāne a Te Puea) tētehi rōpū hei hanga i te whare nei o Kīngi Korokī, i a Tūrongo. Ā, ko Poutapu rāua anō ko Te Wīata i roto i te rōpū nā rātou i whakarākai te poho o te whare ki te whakairo. He mea whakatuwhera te whare nei, a Tūrongo, i te tau 1938. Haere tonu te whakaaro o Poutapu i ētehi mahi itiiti noa nei, whērā i te ipu me ngā taitapa whakamau pikitia.
Eke ana ki te tau 1936, i pū ai te whakaaro o Te Puea kia whakairotia kia whitu ngā waka taua, nuku atu i te 90 putu te roa. He mea tono e ia kia haria mai i Tūākau te takere o te waka taua tawhito nei, o Te Winika, ki Tūrangawaewae. I raro i ngā tohutohu a tētehi kaumātua o Kāwhia, arā, a Rānui Maupakanga, ka tuaina ētehi tōtara mō te ihu me te kei, hei hanga anō hoki i te waka nei. Riro ana nā Rānui i tohutohu a Piri Poutapu ki ngā āhuatanga o te mahi nei, i a Poutapu e hautū ana i tāna rōpū e tārai ana i ngā wāhanga hou ki te toki, ka whakamau atu hoki ki te takere tawhito. He mea rangahau e Poutapu, e Kereama Waka me Īnia Te Wīata ngā momo tauira whakairo o Waikato, hei whakairo i te haumi, i te pākurukuru, i te taurapa me ngā taha o Te Winika. Oti katoa ana ngā mahi mō te waka nei i te tau 1938, ēngari nā te kore moni e toru noa iho o ngā waka e whitu i oti te mahi. Ko ērā atu o ngā waka i oti te mahi ko Aotea me Tākitimu. Mea rawa ake ki tērā wā, kua pai ake te mōhio o Piri, ka taea noatia e ia te whakaako ngā tikanga hanga waka ki te whakatupuranga hou.
I te tau 1939, ka haere a Poutapu ki Te Tai Tokerau ki te whakahaere i te mahi whakairo i te waka o Ngāpuhi, ko Ngā-toki-mata-whao-rua te īngoa. He mea hanga mai tēnei waka mō te hui whakanui i te hui rau tau i tū nei ki Waitangi i te tau 1940. He mea hari atu anō hoki a Te Winika, a Aotea me Tākitimu ki te hui i Te Tai Tokerau. I tana hokinga atu ki tōna kāinga i muri i ngā whakangahau, ka noho a Poutapu ki te kāinga utu rēti o R. G. H. Manley i Ākarana (Auckland); nō muri iho, i panaia ai a Manley e te wahine nōna ake te whare, he kore nōna i whakaae ki te Māori ki roto i tōna whare.
I te tau 1942, i te wā o te Pakanga Tuarua, ka noho a Poutapu hei paeārahi mō ngā āpiha hōia Marikena e toro mai ana i Tūrangawaewae. He mea tuku atu mō ia āpiha tētehi tokotoko whakairo mai i te Kura Whakairo o Tūrangawaewae. Heoi anō, nō te tau 1943, i tino riri ai rāua ko Te Puea mō te tikanga te take. Ka mahue nei i a ia a Tūrangawaewae i te tau 1944, ā, nō te matenga rānōtanga o Te Puea i te tau 1952 kātahi anō ia ka hoki atu. Ka ngaro nei a Piri, mahue ana te tiaki pai a te hunga kāinga i ngā waka, mutu ana hoki te kitea o ngā waka i ngā hui nui pērā i te tangihanga ki a Te Puea. Ka neke nei a Piri ki Waahi, noho ana ia hei hoa whāwhāki, hēkeretari hoki mā Korokī.
I mau tonu te mahi hautū a Piri Poutapu i Ngāruawāhia i te wā i a Te Ātairangikaahu e kuini ana. He mema hoki ia nō te rōpū o te Tekau-mā-rua, te kaunihera nui o te Kīngitanga. I te tau 1971, hei whakanui i te rā rēhi pere rua, rēhi waka rānei mō te huri tau o Ākarana (Auckland Anniversary Regatta), he mea whakatika ake e ia a Te Winika, whakaako hoki i tētehi tira hoe, ka haria atu nei e ia ki Ākarana. I te tau o muri mai, ka tīmata te hanga o te waka rā, o Tāheretikitiki II ki Ngāruawāhia. Ka noho nei a Poutapu hei kaiwhakahaere mō te rōpū ki te whakahou i te waengarahi o te takere tawhito o te waka nei me tana whakahaere anō hoki i ngā tikanga pure mō tēnei mahi. Kua tino taikoroua kē nei ia mō te haere ki te ngahere, tonoa kētia ana e ia ko ana tino kaiwhakairo hei kōwhiri rākau hou mai. Ahakoa tana mau tonu ki ngā tikanga tuku iho, e kore e whakaaetia te kai, whakaaetia rānei te wahine ki te wāhi mahi, kāore i mahue i a ia te whakamahi i ngā hangarau hou: i whakaahuatia anō hoki ngā tauira whakairo mō ngā taha o te waka ka whakamau atu ai ki runga papa rākau. I hopukina katoatia ngā mahi nei e Te Tari o ngā Taonga Whitiāhua (New Zealand National Film Unit); he tangata whakamōwai a Piri Poutapu, he momo anō, ā, koirā hoki te take i kore ai ia i kitea i roto i te pikitia nei. Nō te tau 1973 a Tāheretikitiki II i whakaterehia ai. I taua wā, nā Te Ātairangikaahu i pānui te whakakohatanga atu o Te Winika ki te Whare Taonga o Waikato. Ko Piri anō hoki te kaihautū o te rōpū nā rātou i whakahou te waka i mua i te tukunga atu.
Arā ētehi atu mahi i oti i a Poutapu; ko te whakaotinga tēnā o te poupou rahi nei, he mea whakarite mō te tari kāwanatanga o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand House) i Rānana (London) nō muri mai i te matenga o Īnia Te Wīata. Ko te mahi whakairo anō hoki tēnā āna o te whare nei, o Tūwaerea, ki Hui Te Rangiora marae i Kirikiriroa (Hamilton). He mea hoatu ētehi o āna whakairo ki te pokapū tikanga ā-iwi Poronihiana o te Hāhi Mōmona (Morman Polynesian Cultural Centre) i Laie, i Hawaii. I te tau 1974, ka whakawhiwhia ia ki te tohu whakahōnore nei, ki te MBE. I te mahi anō hoki ia i ngā whakairo mō te whare o Kimiora i Tūrangawaewae, ā, i a ia e whakaoti ana i ngā māherehere whakamutunga mō ētehi atu waka, ka mate nei ia i te marae o Tūrangawaewae i te 20 o Ākuhata i te tau 1975. I mate kē tana wahine, a Ngāmako, i te tau 1969. Heoi anō, mahue mai ana āna tama tokotoru me tana tamāhine kotahi. He mea whakatakoto tana tūpāpaku i te whare nui, i a Pare Waikato i te marae o Tūrangawaewae. E whā rā ki muri, ka tanumia ia ki Taupiri Maunga.