Nō te 30 o Maehe i te tau 1895 i whānau ai a Martha Sarah Kāhui Isaac (Maata Īhakara) i Te Wehinga o Te Wera (The Neck) i Rakiura (Stewart Island). He tamāhine tana māmā, a Mereana (Maryanne) Louise Māpepe Īhakara, nā Alice Pohe Whaitiri o te hapū o Ngāi Taoka o Ngāi Tahu, me ngā iwi anō hoki o Ngāti Māmoe me Waitaha. He āpiha tuarua nei tana pāpā, a Walter Bruce Joss, i runga i te tima o te kāwanatanga nei, o Hinemoa. Nō te tau 1900 i moea ai e tana māmā, e Mereana te tangata hī ika nei a David Wybrow, ā, ka whai tamāhine anō hoki a ia. Kāore i te tino mōhiotia te āhua o te tamarikitanga o Maata me te pēhea o te whakaako i a ia. Otirā, i te nuinga o te wā, he mea whakatipu kē ia i te motu o Ruapuke, ā, he wā poto nei ia i Mataura, he hāwini tiaki whare nei tana mahi.
Kore rawa te whānau o Maata i whakaae ki tana mārenatanga i a Whare Īhaka Whakakā Hūtana i Pōneke (Wellington) i te 7 o Hānuere i te tau 1915. Ko te hiahia o te whānau me moe kē ia i te tangata o te hau kāinga, kua oti kē i a rātou te whakarite māna, kia tūhonohono ai ngā whenua o ngā whānau e rua nei. Torutoru noa nei ōna kaka, kāore he aha anō, ka paheke atu nei ia. Nō Pirinoa ki Te Wairarapa a Hūtana, te tama rā a Īhaka Whakakā Hūtana rāua ko tana wahine, ko Rina Īhakara; ko Rākaiwhakairi te hapū o Whare Hūtana, o ngā kāwai hanumi o Ngāti Kahungunu, o Ngāti Ira, tae atu ki ērā o Rangitāne me Ngāi Tara. I whiwhi pānga whenua whakaheke ia i Pūtangitangi, i te taha whaka-te-raki o te awa o Tūranganui, e noho kotahi ana te whānau nei, e pāmu ana. Tokotoru nei ngā tama a Maata rāua ko Whare (e kōhungahunga tonu ana tētahi ka mate), ā, tokorua nei hoki ā rāua tamāhine. Tokorua anō hoki ngā taitama i riro whāngai noa mai i a rāua, ā, taihoa ake i riro whāngai tūturu mai anō hoki i a rāua te tuahine o ā rāua tama whāngai nei, he matua kē tōna. Koia nei te tīmatanga ake o te noho matua whakakapi a Maata, ā, ahakoa tana pākia e te aituā, 38 kē nei ngā tamariki i whakatipuria e ia, i pai kē nei te whakatipu.
Nō te 15 o Ākuhata o te tau 1929 i mate ai a Whare Hūtana, ka mahue ake nei ko Maata anake hei whakahaere i te pāmu me te tiaki hoki i ngā tamariki, he itiiti noa te moni e hua ake ana. Tīmata ake ana tana mahi tiaki whare mā te whānau o David Warren, he tangata whakatīpu momo hipi, miraka kau nei tāna mahi; nāna nei i hoatu he kau e rua nei, ngā kākahu whai painga tonu hoki o āna tamariki kua pakupaku rawa nei mō rātou. Kia tīmata ai te mahi miraka kau a Maata, hoatu ana e ērā atu anō hoki o ngā tāngata ahu whenua o te rohe, ētahi kau me ētahi kāwhe paruranga nei māna, me ētahi kēne mirika anō hoki. He mea hoatu hoki he kāta me tētahi hōiho hirinaki nei. Kūtete ā-ringa kē ana te miraka a Maata rātou ko āna tama i ā rātou kau, 40 te nui, ā, e rima māero te tawhiti atu o te wheketere o te kamupene ohu, kamupene miraka o Pirinoa (Pirinoa Co-op Dairy Company), mā runga kāta haria atu ai e rātou te miraka. I te pakarutanga o te kāta i te kāwhakitanga atu o te tāriana pōrangorango, hokona mai ana e ngā kaiwhakahaere o te wheketere miraka tētahi Dodge o te tau 1926 nei mōna.
Nō te 27 o Tīhema i te tau 1936, i Pirinoa, i moea ai e Maata te kaimahi nei a Joseph (Hōhepa) William Bragg, hei tama mā John Kaipōrahu Bragg rāua ko tana wahine, ko Sarah Owen. Nō Ngāi Tahu me Ngāti Māmoe a Hōhepa, he mea whakatipu tonu mai rā ia i te toi whenua tonu ake o Maata i Rakiura. Nō muri i tō rāua mārenatanga, āwhina ana a Hōhepa i a Maata ki te mahi i tana pāmu me tana mahi anō hoki mā te whānau Warren. Riro ana i a ia te nuinga o ngā mahi taiepa, mahi pāmu hoki, ā, whakatipua ana hoki e ia he hua whenua, he kāri putiputi nei hoki tā Maata. Whakawhiwhia ana a Maata ki tētahi pūtea tārewa nei a te Tari Māori (Native Department) i te tau 1941, arā, hei hanga whare miraka hou, hei hoko mīhini mai hoki mō roto; kātahi kē hoki te whare miraka kau tino hou o tōna rohe o taua wā! I te mutunga mai neke atu ana i te waru tekau ki te rau te nui o ngā kau e mirakatia ana e Maata. tekau tau atu i 1930, he tiki haere tonu atu tana mahi i te hunga tamariki he whakatiki nei te mate: he whanaunga tonu ētahi nōna, ko ētahi rā kua pani noa, kua mahue hapa kē rānei, tae atu ki ngā tamariki o ngā whānau o te hau kāinga e tūkinotia ana. I riro tonu nāna i whāngai, i whakakākahu aua tamariki rā, ko ia tonu hei utu. I whakaakona rātou e ia ki te mahi pāmu, ki te mahi tiaki whare, me te tiaki pai i ō rātou āhua, akuaku o te tinana. Rite tonu tana aroha atu ki ngā tamariki ka kaha nei tana raupapa, pērā tonu i tana aroha ki āna ake tamariki. Nō te tekau tau atu i 1940, mau haere tonu te tuku atu a te āpiha toko i te ora o te rohe o Whakaoriori (Masterton), a Joe Hercock, i ngā tamariki nei ki a ia. Tukua ana e Maata te nuinga o rātou ki te kura i Pirinoa, ā, i tētahi wā nei i tino kohetetia e ia te kura māhita, he kaha rawa nō tana taraputanga i tētahi o ngā tamariki; mai i tēnā wā, ahakoa ko wai o āna tamariki e hiahiatia ana kia patua, me tono rawa mai te māhita ki a Maata, māna rawa e whakaae, e aha rānei. Ka pakeke haere nei āna taitama, ka tīmata nei tā rātou āwhina i ngā mahi a te pāmu, i tīmata hoki tana utu moni pakupaku noa nei ki a rātou, me te āwhina anō hoki i a rātou ki te pēke i ā rātou moni. O ngā tamariki nāna nei i whakatipu, tōtika ana te noho ake a te nuinga o rātou i muri.
Nō te takiwā pea o te tekau tau atu i 1950 i huri atu ai a Maata ki te Hāhi Mōmona, arā, he Mihinare kē nei ia i tōna mārena tuaruatanga. I whakamātau tonu te Hāhi o Ihu Karaiti mō Te Hunga Tapu o ngā Rā o Muri Nei (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) ki te āwhina i ngā whānau Māori ki te whakapakari i a rātou, me te whakaako i a rātou ki te kēna hua rākau. Hokona mai ana e Maata he mihini kēna nei, ā, haere ake nei, noho tonu ai ko tēnei tana āhua whakapounamu i ana hua rākau. Mai i tōna mārena tuatahi, nō ngā tau tōmua o te tekau tau atu i 1950 tana hokinga atu anō ki Rakiura. He mea hari e ia ētahi o ana tamariki, ā, haerea ana e rātou ētahi o ngā motu ki te mahi tītī. I taua wā maumahara ana tana whānau ki te kaha me te ora o tōna tinana; kāore kē e rerekē atu tana kaha ki te piu i te toki, i te piu a te tāne mārohi kē nei. I whai wāhi atu anō hoki ia ki ngā mahi whakamahere, whakatū i te whare nui i Kohunui, i Te Wairarapa ki te tonga, nō te tau 1956 i whakatuwheratia ai.
Nō te tau 1961 i hinga ai te mea pakeke o ana tamāhine, he mate pukupuku nei te mate. Toru tekau mā iwa nei tōna pakeke, ā, tokorima ngā tamariki o ana mārenatanga e rua i mahue ake i a ia. Kua riro kē mai nei i a Maata ngā tokorua nei o tana mārena tuatahi, ā, ahakoa kua hipa kē nei tōna pakeke i te 65, 66 rānei, i tohe tonu a ia kia riro atu anō hoki i a ia ngā tamariki tokotoru nei. Riro ana nā Pene Kaute (Ben Couch), he kaihautū, kaipakihi nei nō te takiwā kāinga (meāke nei ko ia te Minita mō te Tari Māori), i kōrero te take a Maata, arā, he hoa nei a Pēne nōna. Kāti koa, whakaritea ana tokorua nei ngā tamariki māna hei tiaki. Taihoa ake, riro anō hoki i a ia tētahi anō o ana mokopuna tamāhine, te mea whakamutunga rā o tana kāhui nāna nei i whāngai. Nō te 22 o Āperira i te tau 1966 i mate ai a Hōhepa Bragg, ā, i ana tau whakamutunga riro ana a Maata nā tētahi o ana tama whāngai rāua ko tana wahine i tiaki. Otirā nō te 26 o Mei i te tau 1975 i mate ai a Maata i te hōhipera o Whakaoriori, ā, he mea tāpuke ia i te urupā o Kohunui. Mahue ake ana i a ia tana tama kotahi nei, tana tamāhine whāngai tūturu me te maha atu o ngā whāngai.
Pū ngātahi ai te ngākau tapatahi me te pukumahi i te wahine nei, i riwhariwha nei te whatumanawa i te matenga o te maha o tōna whānau, arā, te wahine e mōhiotia nei e te katoa o Te Wairarapa ki te tonga ko ‘Nan Bragg’. He wahine whakatumatuma, kōrero hāngai tonu tana kōrero. He wahine toritori ia, ā, i rite tonu ki a ia ngā mahi katoa, arā, te ā kau, te kari wāra, te whakatika taiepa, te whatu me te tuimāwhai hoki. Ko ia nei tētahi o te maha o ngā wāhine Māori, tāne Māori e tūao ana te tiaki i te taha toko i te ora o ngā tamariki o tō rātou iwi, waihoki rā, kāore he mahi tiaki i nuku atu te pai i ngā mahi a Maata Bragg i Te Wairarapa ki te tonga i ngā tau atu i 1930 ki 1960.