Aperahama Taonui (died 23 September 1882) was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

tribal leader, prophet, historian, teacher and assessor. He was a leader of the Te Popoto

hapū In 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 and normally opera ...

of the

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland region of New Zealand and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2018 New Zealand census, the estimated population of Ngāpuhi is 165, ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

. He was born in

Whangaroa Whangaroa is a settlement on Whangaroa Harbour in the Far North District of New Zealand. It is 8 km north-west of Kaeo and 35 km north-west of Kerikeri. The harbour is almost landlocked and is popular both as a fishing spot in its own ...

, Northland, probably in the 1810s. His father was Makoare Te Taonui.

The Flagstaff War

Aperahama Taonui and his father Makoare Te Taonui supported

Tāmati Wāka Nene Tāmati Wāka Nene (1780s – 4 August 1871) was a Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe) who fought as an ally of the British in the Flagstaff War of 1845–46. Origin and mana Tāmati Wāka Nene from the ''Dictionary of New Zeala ...

in opposing Hone Heke and

Te Ruki Kawiti Te Ruki Kawiti (1770s – 5 May 1854) was a prominent Māori rangatira (chief). He and Hōne Heke successfully fought the British in the Flagstaff War in 1845–46. Belich, James. ''The New Zealand Wars''. (Penguin Books, 1986) He traced descent ...

in the Flagstaff War (1845–46). Aperahama Taonui received a bullet wound, probably in April 1845, in the early fighting near Okaihau. He was sent to Auckland to recuperate and there became friendly with Governor

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...

, who awarded Aperahama Taonui a government pension. His father, Makoare Te Taonui, led his warriors in the capture of Heke's pā at

Te Ahuahu Te Ahuahu is a 373 m high basaltic scoria cone, in the Kaikohe-Bay of Islands volcanic field in New Zealand. It was the site of Hone Heke's pā that was the scene of the Battle of Te Ahuahu during the Flagstaff War The Flagstaff War, als ...

, which was followed by Nene's defeat of Heke in the Battle of Te Ahuahu on 12 June 1845 at Pukenui.

References

1882 deaths New Zealand Māori religious leaders People from the Northland Region 19th-century New Zealand historians Ngāpuhi people Year of birth missing Flagstaff War {{Māori-bio-stub