Henare Tomoana (1820/30s – 20 February 1904) was a prominent

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

leader and politician from the

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

area in the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

, New Zealand. He was of

Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The tribe is organised into six geographical and administrative di ...

and Ngāti Te Whatu-i-Apiti tribal lineage. In 1879 he was elected to the

New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament ( mi, Pāremata Aotearoa) is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the King of New Zealand ( King-in-Parliament) and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by h ...

for the

Eastern Maori Eastern Maori was one of New Zealand's four original parliamentary Māori electorates established in 1868, along with Northern Maori, Western Maori and Southern Maori. In 1996, with the introduction of MMP, the Maori electorates were updated, an ...

electorate, and in 1898 was appointed to the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a co ...

. He was a convenor of

Te Kotahitanga The Kotahitanga movement was an autonomous Māori parliament convened annually in New Zealand from 1892 until 1902. Though not recognised by the New Zealand Government, the Māori Parliament was an influential body while it lasted. By 1902 its ro ...

, the movement for an independent Māori Parliament.

Early life

Tomoana was born in the 1820s or early 1830s, probably in the

Heretaunga Plains :''There are two places in New Zealand called Heretaunga. For the suburb of Upper Hutt, see Heretaunga, Wellington.'' The Heretaunga Plains is a alluvial plain at the southern end of Hawke Bay on the east coast of the North Island of New Zeala ...

, near the present day site of the city of

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

. He was the third son of Te Rotohenga (also called Winipere) from her second marriage to Hira Te Ota. Through his mother's first marriage, Tomoana was a younger half-brother of

Karaitiana Takamoana Karaitiana Takamoana (died 24 February 1879) was a prominent Māori chief of Ngāti Kahungunu, and a New Zealand Member of Parliament for the Eastern Maori electorate. Recognised by many as a founding father of the modern Ngāti Kahungunu iwi, ...

and Te Meihana Takihi. His

whakapapa Whakapapa (, ), or genealogy, is a fundamental principle in Māori culture. Reciting one's whakapapa proclaims one's Māori identity, places oneself in a wider context, and links oneself to land and tribal groupings and the mana of those. Exper ...

links him to Ngāti Hawea as his principal hapu, however he was also connected to Ngāti Hinetahu, Ngāti Te Rehunga, and Ngāti Hori. Little is known of Tomoana's early life or education. Around the time of his childhood, several wars were fought to repel invasions of Heretaunga, and many people from that area took refuge at

Māhia Peninsula Māhia Peninsula (Maori: or ) is located on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, in the Hawke's Bay region, between the towns of Wairoa and Gisborne. Rocket Lab has set up its Launch Complex 1 close to Ahuriri Point at the southe ...

, not returning to Heretaunga until after 1838.

Marriages and children

By 1852 Tomoana had become a Christian, taking the name Henare at baptism, and he had married twice. The identity of his first wife is unknown, however his second wife, whom he married on 18 October 1852, was Ataneta Rukarei. They had no children. His third wife, Akenehi Patoka, is said to have borne 13 children, including

Paraire Tomoana Paraire "Friday" Henare Tomoana (died 15 April 1946) was a Māori political leader, journalist, historian, sportsman, and lyricist of the Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāi Te Whatu-i-Apiti tribes. Born either in Waipatu or Pakowhai near Hastings, he wa ...

, who later became a prominent Māori leader, composer and scholar. Only two of his 13 children survived him.

Military leadership and land disputes

In the 1850s and 1860s,

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

was acquiring land in the

Hawke's Bay Region Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

very rapidly. As a prominent Māori chief, Tomoana was involved in many of the sales. In 1851 he, along with his father and brothers, had signed deeds for the sale of major land blocks in Ahuriri (now the city of Napier) and at

Waipukurau Waipukurau is the largest town in the Central Hawke's Bay District on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the banks of the Tukituki River, 7 kilometres south of Waipawa and 50 kilometres southwest of Hastings. H ...

. He also took part in the sale of the Matau-a-Maui (

Cape Kidnappers for "''the jawbone of Māui''" * for "''the fish hook of Māui''" , , type = Cape , photo = Cape Kidnappers.jpg , photo_width = , photo_alt = , photo_caption = Looking northeast towards Cape K ...

) block in 1855. Despite his own involvement in the sale of land, Tomoana was alarmed by the rate of Māori land loss in the Hawke's Bay Region in the 1850s. In 1856 he joined is elder half-brother

in an attempt to bridle the rate at which land was being sold by Te Hapuku, another powerful Māori leader from the same area. Eventually their attempt led to open conflict, and between 1857-58 Tomoana fought against Te Hapuku in a war at Te Pakiaka, near Whakatu. During this time he accrued large debts to European store owners, and was forced to lease or sell land to repay what he had owed. By 1867 he had sold a large block at Wahaparata (near the present day site of

Havelock North Havelock North ( mi, Te Hemo-a-Te Atonga) is a town in the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island of New Zealand, situated less than 2 km south-east of the city of Hastings. It was a borough for many years until the 1989 reorganisation of local ...

) and had leased over 17,000 acres of land in the

to Thomas Tanner for an initial annual sum of £600. Regardless of his alarm over the rapidity of Māori land loss in Hawke's Bay, Tomoana was loyal to

. In 1866, he and other Māori leaders joined forces with the Hawke's Bay Division of the Colonial Defence Force, to repel an attack by the

Pai Mārire The Pai Mārire movement (commonly known as Hauhau) was a syncretic Māori religion founded in Taranaki by the prophet Te Ua Haumēne. It flourished in the North Island from about 1863 to 1874. Pai Mārire incorporated biblical and Māori spiritual ...

at the Battle of Omarunui. Then in 1868, he took command of a contingent of Māori troops from the Heretaunga-Tamatea region and supported the government's pursuit of

Te Kooti Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki (c. 1832–1893) was a Māori leader, the founder of the Ringatū religion and guerrilla fighter. While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to the Cha ...

up the

Ruakituri River The Ruakituri River is a river of the Gisborne and Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's North Island. It initially flows northeast from its sources north of Lake Waikareiti. Within its course are the 72 m high Waitangi Falls. Afterwards it turns ...

toward

Wairoa Wairoa is a town and territorial authority district in New Zealand's North Island. The town is the northernmost in the Hawke's Bay region, and is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of ...

. In December 1868 he fought at the Battle of Makaretu, helping to repel Te Kooti's incursion into the Poverty Bay area. In 1869, Tomoana again led troops in pursuit of Te Kooti, who was now being pursued in the area around Taupo. On 10 September 1869, he was camped at Tauranga-Taupo with 120 men when Te Kooti's force of about 280 mounted a pre-emptive strike against him. Te Kooti succeeded in capturing Tomoana's horses and much of his equipment, but was forced to retreat under heavy fire. On 25 September, Tomoana joined forces with Hohepa Tamamutu of

Ngāti Tūwharetoa Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua (Tarawera River) at Matatā across the central plateau of the North Isla ...

, and succeeded in driving Te Kooti from Te Ponanga near

Lake Rotoaira Lake Rotoaira (sometimes written ''Lake Roto-aira'') is a small lake to the south of Lake Taupō on the North Island Volcanic Plateau in New Zealand. It covers an area of 13 km². Lake Rotoaira is one of the few privately owned lakes in New Z ...

. On 4 October, he led the Ngāti Kahungunu contingent against Te Kooti's redoubt at the Battle of Te Porere. The battle was a joint effort by Tomoana,

Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui (died 15 April 1898) was a Māori military commander and noted ally of the government forces during the New Zealand Wars. First known as Te Rangihiwinui, he was later known as Te Keepa, Meiha Keepa, Major Keepa or Ma ...

Te Arawa Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori iwi and hapu (tribes and sub-tribes) of New Zealand who trace their ancestry to the Arawa migration canoe (''waka'').Thomas McDonnell who led the government forces. The storming of the redoubt was successful, and Te Kooti was wounded during the battle. Tomoana then returned to Napier due to a lack of supplies. For his campaigns against Te Kooti, Tomoana (who had been commissioned as a captain of militia) received a

Sword of Honour The ''Sword of Honour'' is a trilogy of novels by Evelyn Waugh which loosely parallel Waugh's experiences during the Second World War. Published by Chapman & Hall from 1952 to 1961, the novels are: ''Men at Arms'' (1952); ''Officers and Gentl ...

. However, he did not receive regular pay, as the Hawke's Bay superintendent,

John Davies Ormond John Davies Ormond (31 May 1831 – 6 October 1917) was a New Zealand politician whose positions included Superintendent (politics), Superintendent of Hawke's Bay Province, Minister of Public Works and member of the New Zealand Legislative Coun ...

, claimed that the government could not afford it. By this time Tomoana was deeply in debt, at least some of which had been incurred in equipping his troops. By December 1869 he owed more than £3,000. He was subsequently forced to sell his share of the Heretaunga block in order to settle his debt. He had been one of ten chiefs granted joint ownership of the Heretaunga block by the Native Land court. The sale of his share led to the eventual loss of the entire Heretaunga block, where the city of

now stands.

Political activism and repudiation movement

The rapid sale of Māori land in the Hawke's Bay Region led to the emergence of "the Hawke's Bay repudiation movement." The movement was an attempt to dispute the legitimacy of past land sales that, even at the time, had been criticised as unscrupulous. At a meeting at Pakowhai in July 1872 Tomoana proposed that all land grievances should be taken to Wellington to be heard in the Native Land Court, while

called for a commission of inquiry. A commission of inquiry was appointed, but it was considered by Māori to be a great disappointment. Many claims were not heard, no action was or could be taken, and the commission found that mortgages and the acquisition of tribal property through pressure on indebted grantees were legitimate actions. From April 1873 Tomoana was fully committed to repudiation. The movement's aims were to create a petition demanding a new commission with greater powers, and to work for a change of government. The Auckland lawyer John Sheehan was a supporter of the repudiation movement and criticised many of the past land sales in the region as "iniquitous." Tomoana's greatest contribution to repudiation was to set up, publish and edit a Māori newspaper called ''Te Wananga'', at Pakowhai. The first issue emerged on 5 August 1874, and it continued, usually weekly, until December 1878. From sometime in 1875 it was edited by John White. The first few numbers, published in Māori only, contained Tomoana's explanations of the paper's purpose. It was hoped to educate its readers about European business practices, and provide contact between Māori and European concepts. The paper discussed land selling and leasing, mortgages, reserves and Crown grants. Controversial land cases were reported, many of which concerned Tomoana. In June 1876 a meeting of chiefs was held at Pakowhai, and Tomoana was its host. The meeting expressed loyalty to the Queen, but called for unification of the tribes, yearly meetings of chiefs, an increase in Māori members of Parliament, and the reform of Māori land law. Tomoana repeated his 1872 support for the continuance of the Native Land Court, and suggested that fuller use be made of existing protective clauses in Māori land law, saying that Parliament was unlikely to accept new proposals. He was supported by

and

Henare Matua Henare Matua (c.1838–1894) was a New Zealand tribal leader, reformer and politician. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Ngati Kahungunu iwi. He was born in Nukutaurua, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) ...

, and advised by John Sheehan, who was soon to become the native minister in government.

Parliamentary career

Tomoana's elder half-brother

was elected to parliament for the

electorate in 1871, and served until his death in 1879. Tomoana contested the by-election held in July 1879 to fill the seat left vacant by Takamoana's death. He beat

and Ieni Tapsell to become the third member of parliament for the Eastern Maori electorate. He was initially a supporter of the ministry of Sir

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 ...

, but soon became increasingly disillusioned. In 1879 he voted against Grey in a vote of no-confidence. Grey called an election, and in October was replaced as Premier by

John Hall John Hall may refer to: Academics * John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic * John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal * John F. Hall (born 1951), professor of classics at Brigham Young Unive ...

. Tomoana was, for 17 days, a member of the Executive Council in Hall's administration. As an ordinary member of Parliament he made little impact. Like other contemporary Māori members he was hampered by a lack of fluent English, but he gained valuable experience in parliamentary procedure and European politics. In 1882 he succeeded in getting through to its second reading a bill to set up local Māori committees with power to adjudicate on land titles. This bill led directly to the 1883 Native Committees Act which gave committees the authority to advise the Native Land Court, and to arbitrate between Māori disputants in some matters if the disputing parties consented. However, because they were regional rather than tribal and had insufficient powers, these committees were not acceptable to most Māori. As a member of parliament, Tomoana's influence among Māori grew. He was sometimes called on to resolve disputes. In 1880 he intervened in a land dispute between Ngati Rakai-paaka of Nuhaka and Ngati Hine of Whakaki and was able to arrange a temporary peace in which discussions could continue. He intervened with less immediate success in a land dispute between John Harding and Heta Tiki of Waipawa, but the case was eventually resolved in favour of the Māori owners. In the 1884 election, Tomoana was defeated by

Wi Pere Wiremu "Wi" Pere (7 March 1837 – 9 December 1915), was a Māori Member of Parliament in New Zealand. He represented Eastern Māori in the House of Representatives from 1884 to 1887, and again from 1893 to 1905. Pere's strong criticism of th ...

, and returned to his role as a chief and leader in the

. In 1886, with Renata Kawepo, he set up a meeting in Hastings to discuss the forthcoming Native Land Administration Bill with

John Ballance John Ballance (27 March 1839 – 27 April 1893) was an Irish-born New Zealand politician who was the 14th premier of New Zealand, from January 1891 to April 1893, the founder of the Liberal Party (the country's first organised political part ...

, the native minister. As the first Māori spokesperson Tomoana reviewed past land legislation, concluding that all of it had brought harm to Māori, and asked that they be given more control over their affairs. Ballance's Native Land Administration Act 1886 established block committees, but they were generally regarded with suspicion, partly because it was feared that the proceeds of the land would be swallowed up in the committees' costs. The death of Renata Kawepo in 1888 left Tomoana the senior Heretaunga chief of his generation. In May 1891 in Waipawa he gave evidence to the Native Land Laws Commission, pointing out that great injustices had resulted from laws imposed on Māori by the European-dominated Parliament, and asking that Māori be allowed to make their own laws. This request reflected Tomoana's growing involvement with

, the movement for an independent Māori parliament.

Hāmiora Mangakāhia Hāmiora Mangakāhia (1838 – 4 June 1918) was a prominent Māori people, Māori chief and the first Premier of Te Kotahitanga, the movement for an independent Māori people, Māori parliament in New Zealand in the 1890s. Of Ngati Whanaunga ...

, several times premier of the Māori parliament, credited Tomoana with being one of the principal agents of its establishment. As chairman of the Waipatu marae committee, Tomoana welcomed Kotahitanga members to the June 1892 session there. His parliamentary skills were put to good use; he was elected Speaker of

. He was elected again in 1893, but resigned after a few days. He served as Speaker on subsequent occasions, but by the fourth session regarded himself as 'leader of the opposition' in the Kotahitanga parliament. There were no organised parties within the movement, but his chosen role was to provide opposing arguments on debated issues. Funeral of Henare Tomoana

As a member of

, Tomoana presented to the native minister in June 1893 a draft Federated Māori Assembly Empowering Bill, and a petition listing Māori grievances. The bill asked for power over Māori to be delegated to

, subject only to the

Governor of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand ( mi, te kāwana tianara o Aotearoa) is the viceregal representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and liv ...

. In 1893 Tomoana took up the cause of Tuhoe, who were resisting the survey of their land, and circulated a petition on their behalf throughout Hawke's Bay. This action led the Premier,

Richard Seddon Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the List of prime ministers of New Zealand, 15th Prime Minister of New Zealand, premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. ...

to release Tuhoe prisoners. In the 1898 session of the Kotahitanga parliament at Papawai in

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

, the main item of business was discussion of Seddon's bill to set up Māori land boards, which threatened to further reduce Māori control of their land. Tomoana took a moderate line, accepting the bill as a basis for discussion, whereas most others regarded it as a violation of the rules and procedures of the Māori parliament. In June 1898, Tomoana was appointed a member of the Legislative Council, a position he held until 20 February 1904 when he died.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomoana, Henare 1904 deaths Military leaders of the New Zealand Wars Ngāti Kahungunu people People from the Hawke's Bay Region Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for Māori electorates 1820 births Unsuccessful candidates in the 1884 New Zealand general election 19th-century New Zealand politicians