Apihai Te Kawau (died November 1869) was a

paramount chief A paramount chief is the English-language designation for a king or queen or the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with a Chiefdom, chief-based system. This term is used occasionally ...

of the Ngāti Whātua Māori iwi (tribe) of

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

(), New Zealand in the 19th century. Te Kawau's father was Tarahawaiki and his grandfather was Tūperiri, the principal leader of Te Taoū ''

hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...

'' (sub-tribe) of Ngāti Whātua who overran the Tāmaki isthmus in the 1740s, defeating the Wai-o-Hua. Te Kawau's mother was Mokorua, who was descended from the Wai-o-Hua. Te Kawau was born at Ihumātao, near the Manukau Harbour. Te Kawau is thought to have fought against the Ngāpuhi iwi in the Ngāti Whātua victory of Battle of Moremonui in 1807 or 1808. He then helped lead the 1,000 mile long Ngāti Whātua and Ngāti Maniapoto cannibalistic war expedition known as (encircling the land) from 1821 to 1822. After a major defeat to Ngāpuhi at Te Ika-a-ranga-nui in 1825, Te Kawau and his people left the Tāmaki isthmus (the future site of Auckland) for several years. On 20 March 1840 in the Manukau Harbour area where Ngāti Whātua farmed, Te Kawau signed ''Te Tiriti o Waitangi'' (the ''te reo Māori'' translation of the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

). Ngāti Whātua sought British protection from Ngāpuhi as well as a reciprocal relationship with the Crown and the Church. Soon after signing the Treaty, Te Kawau made a ''tuku'' (strategic gift) of 3,500 acres (1,400 hectares) of land on the

Waitematā Harbour The Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. The harbour forms the northern and eastern coasts of the Auckland isthmus and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is matched on the southern side of the city ...

for the new capital of Auckland. Te Kawau was associated with the Church Mission Society (CMS) since meeting Samuel Marsden in 1820, and the two men become friends. During the 1840s, some time after becoming a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, he was baptised by

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

George Selwyn at the chapel near Ōrākei Pā and was given the baptismal name of Āpihai, Māori for the biblical warrior Abishai. In the 1850s Te Kawau was an assessor involved with settling disputes between Māori in Auckland. Known then as a peaceful man, he spoke publicly against land sales, but was unable to stop Governor George Grey's evictions and confiscations. In 1868 he secured the title to the last 700 acres of Ngāti Whātua land in Ōrākei for his iwi. Te Kawau was the uncle of Paora Tūhaere, who succeeded him as a leader of Ngāti Whātua. In 2018 Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and the Ports of Auckland created a memorial to Te Kawau for his gifting of land to Governor Hobson and commemorating his contributions to Auckland, while marking the place where the city was founded on 18 September 1840.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Te Kawau, Apihai 1869 deaths 19th-century New Zealand people Converts to Protestantism from pagan religions Ngāti Whātua people Signatories of the Treaty of Waitangi