Ko Hepi Hoani Te Heuheu Tūkino te tuawhitu o ngā tino ariki o Ngāti Tūwharetoa, ā, hoki rā anō tōna tātai hono ki te tohunga o te waka o Te Arawa, ki a Ngātoroirangi. I te paunga o te rau tau 1800–1899, i ngana kaha tōna koroua a Tūreiti Te Heuheu Tūkino V kia whakamanahia te Kotahitanga (te Pāremata Māori), ēngari kīhai i tutuki. I tōna matenga i te tau 1921, ka noho ko tana tama, ko Hoani Te Heuheu Tūkino VI hei whakakapi mōna, arā, ko ia te heamana tuatahi o te Poari Kaitiaki o Tūwharetoa (Tūwharetoa Trust Board). Nō te tau 1940 i tohea e ia te whakamana ā-ture mai i te Tiriti o Waitangi, he take i kawea atu e ia ki te aroaro o te Kaunihera Motuhake a te Kuini (Privy Council) i Rānana (London).
I whānau mai a Hepi i te 26 o Hānuere o te tau 1919, ki te Whare Tongariro (Tongariro House) i Maranui (Lyall Bay), ki Pōneke (Wellington). Ko ia te tama a Hoani rāua ko tana wahine, ko Raukawa Tāwhirau Maniapoto, ko ia rā te tamāhine a Te Maniapoto rāua ko Wakahuia o Taupō. Ko tōna hapū tūturu ake, ko Ngāti Tūrumakina. I kuraina a Hepi ki te kawenati o Hato Hōhepa (St Joseph’s Convent) i Waihī, e tata atu rā ki Tokaanu. Kātahi anō ia ka pakeke ka tīmata tana mahi mai i ngā pāmu me ngā ngahere hoki o tōna iwi. I Tokaanu, i te 27 o Hānuere o te tau 1941, i mārenatia e Hepi (he taraiwa taraka tana mahi i taua wā) a Pauline Hinepoto (Tuutu) Te Moanapāpaku, ko ia rā te tamāhine a Rangihīroa rāua ko Hōrina Te Moanapāpaku. Nō ngā iwi o Ngāti Tūwharetoa me Ngāti Maru a Pauline; ā pau noa ōna rā, noho ai ia hei taituarā mō ngā mahi a tana hoa rangatira. Tokoono ā rāua tamariki.
Nō muri i te matenga atu o tōna matua i te 27 o Āperira o te tau 1944, me te tangihanga ki a ia i Waihī i ngā rā tīmata ake o Mei, i āta tohua e Kīngi Korokī a Hepi ki tōna tūranga. Nō te paunga atu o taua tau, i mātua kitea ia e taki hautū ana, i tana kore e whakaae ki te karanga a ngā mema Pāremata Māori kia haere atu ki tā rātau hui i Pōneke, haere kē ana ia ki tētehi hui i Ngāruawāhia, toru mano te nui o ngā rangatira me ngā māngai ā-iwi i taua hui. Pau ana i a ia ōna tau tuatahi e whakatōpū, e whakapakari ana i te whai hua a te iwi, arā, he mahi pāmu, mahi ngahere te mahi. Nō te tau 1956, i whakanōhia a Hepi Te Heuheu hei heamana mō te Poari Kaitiaki o Tūwharetoa; ā mate noa ia e mau tonu ana taua tūranga.
Nā tōna pai ki te ārahi i tōna iwi, i puta ai ko Tūwharetoa tētehi o ngā iwi tino kaha, tino whakarawe puta noa i Aotearoa. Ko te take i pēnei ai, he mea tuku atu e rātau mā ngā kaporeihana papa rākau e whakahaere ngā mahi; nā te mahi pēnei i whiwhi ai ngā kaiwhiwhi Māori i te uara tika mō ngā papa rākau, ā, i tua atu i tēnā he mea whakangao atu hoki ngā hua ki ngā whare, ki ētehi atu tūmomo mahi moni rānei. I kaha tonu a Hepi Te Heuheu ki te karapoti i a ia ki ngā tohunga tohutohu, ko tētehi tonu ko Pei Te Hurinui Jones, he matatau nei ia ki te whakatūtū kaporeihana whai hua kē nei, he mea whakatū rā e ia ki te puku o Te Ika-a-Māui i ngā tau tōmuri atu o te tekau tau atu i 1940. I te tekau tau atu i 1960, i whakawhitiwhiti kōrero a Hepi Te Heuheu me te kāwanatanga mō te tāone o Tūrangi e whakaarotia nei kia whakatūria, ā, pērā anō hoki mō te teihana hiko ā-wai e meinga nei ki Tongariro, me te kōrerorero anō hoki mō te āhua o ngā whenua ngahere me ngā rāhui roto.
I tua atu i tana tūranga hei tumuaki mō te Poari Kaitiaki o Tūwharetoa, ko ia anō te heamana o ngā kaitiaki ngahere o Te Roto-a-Ira (Lake Rotoaira), o te ngahere o Te Roto-a-Ira (Rotoaira Forest), o Tauranga–Taupō, o te rae o Motutere (Motutere Point), me Taupō Moana; ko ia anō hoki te heamana o te komiti ā-iwi o Tūrumakina (Tūrumakina Tribal Committee) me te komiti tohutohu o te takiwā o Aotea (Aotea District Land Advisory Committee). Ko ana mahi whānui kē atu, ko tana noho hei mema mō te Kāhui o Hoani (St John Ambulance Association), mō te Poari o te Rohe Tāpui ā-Iwi o Tongariro (Tongariro National Park Board), me te Poari Kaitiaki o Waitangi mō te Motu (Waitangi National Trust Board), otirā, i tēnei tūranga ko ia ake te kanohi o te Kuini Māori. Ūhia ana ia ki te tohu KBE i te rārangi pānui hōnore o te tau hou o te tau 1979. Hāunga rā i ngā wā e wātea ana a ia, he pārekareka ki a ia te hī taraute.
Kia tae nei ki ngā take tōrangapū, i whai tonu a Hepi Te Heuheu i te tikanga tuku iho a tōna whānau, arā, kia pūmau tonu te mana motuhake o te Māori, me te tino rangatiratanga anō hoki. I ngā tau 1985 me 1986 nāna ka tū te kotahitanga o ngā mana Māori (Federation of Māori Authorities), ko ia nei te heamana tuatahi; waihoki ko te mahi a te rōpū, he whakapai ake i te momo whakahaere i ngā whenua Māori me ngā hua e tika kē ana te puta ake. Hei tā ētehi, ko te mahi tino nui rawa atu o ngā mahi katoa i tutuki i a ia, ko tana mahi ki te ārahi atu i tētehi rōpū ki te kite i te Pirimia, i a David Lange i te tau 1985, ki te kimi i tētehi huarahi hei tautiaki mai i ngā pānga o te iwi Māori e mau nei i raro i te ture hinonga kāwanatanga. Nā te whakaurunga atu o ngā wāhanga anō ki te ture e tautiaki ana i ngā whanonga pono o te Tiriti o Waitangi, i tareka ai te whakataunga ā-ture whakahirahira e te Kōti Pīra (Court of Appeal) o Aotearoa mō te take nei i te tau 1987.
I te tau 1989, nā runga tonu i te maha o ngā tono mai a ngā iwi kia hangaia tētehi rōpū motuhake Māori hei kawe atu i ngā take Māori a te motu, i karangatia e Hepi Te Heuheu he hui ki Taupō-nui-a-Tia. He mea tono e ia he wāhine tokorua nei hei noho ki tōna taha, arā, ko te Arikinui, ko Te Ātairangikaahu, rāua ko Te Reo Hura, ko ia te Tumuaki o te Hāhi Rātana. Otirā, nā te tokotoru anō nei hoki i karanga te mea tuarua, tuatoru atu o ngā hui, i te mutunga mai ka tū ko te rōpū o te Whakakotahitanga o ngā Iwi o Aotearoa (National Māori Congress). I te tīmatanga, i hono katoa mai ngā iwi nui o Aotearoa ki te rōpū whakakotahitanga nei, me tā rātau tautoko anō i te kaupapa mana motuhake. I raro i te whakahaere a Hepi Te Heuheu, i tutuki ngā kaupapa nei, arā, kia mau tonu ngā tūru Māori i te Whare Pāremata ka tahi, me te whakanui ake i te maha o ngā tūru Māori ka rua. I tua atu i tēnā, i ātetetia e te whakakotahitanga nei te Ture mō ngā Rūnanga Iwi (Rūnanga Iwi Act) o 1990, e mea nei ki te whakature i te tuakiri o ngā iwi. Ki tō rātau whakaaro, he mahi whakakōpekapeka noa tēnei, arā, i te mutunga mai ka noho rangatira kē ko te Karauna.
Kia tata rawa te pau o ōna rā, i mārakerake te kitea atu o te aweawenga o Hepi Te Heuheu e te ao tōrangapū. Otirā, nō Tīhema o te tau 1994, i pānuitia e te kāwanatanga te momo whakatau ōna i ngā kerēme tiriti tuku iho, e ai ki tētehi pūtea anā noa iho te rahi ka mutu, inarā, kāore e neke atu i te kotahi piriona tāra te moni hei whakatutuki i ngā kerēme katoa, mō te wā tekau tau noa te roa. Pōwhiritia ake ana e te Pirimia, e Jim Bolger, he rōpū kaiārahi matua Māori kia haere ake ki Pōneke ki te whiriwhiri i te take nei. He mea whakapeka tūmatanui e Te Heuheu te tono mai a te Pirimia i a ia, ā, karanga kētia ana e ia ngā rangatira ā-iwi me nga māngai o ngā rōpū Māori, kia hui tahi mai rātau ki te marae o Hīrangi e tata ana ki Tūrangi, nō te 29 o Hānuere o te tau 1995 i hui ai. Kotahi mano pea te nui o ngā kaiārahi, māngai hoki i tae ake, arā, ki te mea tuatahi o āna hui, me tērā anō o Hepetema o te tau 1995, tae atu ki te mea tuatoru o Āperira o te tau 1996.
I tāna kōrero tuatahi i te hui i Hīrangi, ka mea a Tā Hepi, kua mutu te whakaae noa a te iwi Māori ki ngā kaupapa he mea hanga noa e te kāwanatanga anake, ā, i tua atu i tēnā, tae noa ki te wā e whai kaupapa ture rawa a Aotearoa kia āhei ai te Māori ki te whakatakoto kaupapa mōna ake, ka pupū tonu te āwangawanga, ka pūmau tonu hoki te tūkino. Ahakoa i ātetetia e ētehi tāngata tōna whakaaro mō te āhua o te whakakotahitanga ki tā ngā tikanga tuku iho, ko te mea whakaatu kē mai a te hui i Hīrangi, nā te mana ake o Tā Hēpi Te Heuheu i taea te whakakotahi mai te iwi Māori, me he kaupapa nui te kaupapa rā. Me te mea anō, e kore e tareka e te kāwanatanga te whakatakoto kaupapa taha kotahi, me he take nui ki te iwi Māori. Kāti koa, i kitea anō hoki ko ngā take e pā ana ki te kaupapa ture o Aotearoa te pūtake o te nanu o te iwi Māori.
I ōna tau whakamutunga, ka paheke haere te hauora o Hepi Te Heuheu, ka pāngia nei ia e te matehuka me ōna pōauautanga. Nō te 31 o Hūrae o te tau 1997, i mate ia i te hōhipera o Taupō. Ka mahue mai ko tana pouaru, ko Pauline (nō Ākuhata o te tau 1998 i mate ai) me ā rāua tamariki. Muia ana te marae o Waihī i tōna tangihanga e te nui o te Māori me ko wai atu hoki o te hunga hautū o Aotearoa. I te kōrerotanga a Tā Robert Mahuta – ko te waha kōrero rā ia o te Kuini Māori – ka kī a ia, nā Te Heuheu i whakaata te momo mau ake i te mana Māori tūturu, inarā, ko ia nei te tangata mārie, whakamōwai, hei aha māna te pākiwaha. I muri iho o te nehunga o Hepi Te Heuheu ki Waihī, ka meinga ko tana mātāmua, ko Tumu hei piki tūranga mōna, he mea tohu nei a ia ki tōna tūranga hei ariki e te Arikinui, e Te Ātairangikaahu.
Ko tō Hepi Te Heuheu momo whakahaere i te mahi, he whakahauhau, he whakamana i a wai noa hei whakatau whakaaro, ā, noho ake ana ia hei haumi kē me ka mōrearea, kua kore rānei e haere te mahi. Ki tōna whakaaro, me ngāwari noa ngā mahi, ā, me kaha hoki te tiaki i ngā taonga tuku iho mā ngā reanga e pihi ake nei. Nā tēnei āhua hoki, me te ngāwari o tana haere i waenganui i tōna iwi – hoa mai, rangatira mai – i kaingākaunuitia a ia e te tangata Māori. Kitea ake ana hoki tōna mana e te maha noa o ngā tāngata o Aotearoa, he mea mīharo kē nei ki a rātau tana hanga tū, hanga rangatira.