Kingi Te Ahoaho Tahiwi (1883–1948) was a notable New Zealand teacher, interpreter, translator, rugby official and musician.

Personal life

Tahiwi was born in Ōtaki, New Zealand, in 1883. He was of

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 ...

descent and affiliated to the

Ngāti Raukawa Ngāti Raukawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Waikato, Taupo and Manawatu/Horowhenua regions of New Zealand. In 2006, 29,418 Māori registered their affiliation with Ngāti Raukawa. History Early history Ngāti Raukawa reco ...

Ngāti Whakaue Ngāti Whakaue is a Māori iwi, of the Te Arawa confederation of New Zealand. The tribe lives in the Rotorua district and descends from the Arawa waka. The Ngāti Whakaue village Ōhinemutu is within the township of Rotorua. Ngāti Whakaue tra ...

and

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'').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 ...

. His father was Rawiri Rota Tahiwi of Ngati Ruakawa and he was related to the Ngati Whakaue section of Te Arawa through his maternal line.

Pirimi Pererika Tahiwi Pirimi Pererika Tahiwi (16 September 1890 – 30 July 1969) was a notable New Zealand schoolteacher, rugby player, soldier, musician, and community leader. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Whakaue and Te Arawa iwi ...

was one of his younger brothers. He was educated at Ōtaki and Te Aute college, where he later became an assistant master.

Career

He was employed by the

Department of Maori Affairs Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

from 1915 until his death in 1948. He chaired the executive of the Ngati Poneke Maori Association and both the Poneke tribal and executive committees.

Sporting interests

In 1926 Tahiwi became the secretary of the Maori Rugby Advisory Board. From 1927 until his death in 1948 he was the Board's representative on the executive of the

New Zealand Rugby Union New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1892 as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU), 12 years after the first provincial unions in New Zealand. In 1949 it became an affiliate to t ...

. He was also involved with administration of cricket, hockey, and athletics, as well as the New Zealand Maori Lawn Tennis Association.

Honours and awards

In the

1946 New Year Honours The 1946 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and to celebrate the passing of 1945 and the beginnin ...

, Tahiwi was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for services in connection with the organisation of the Māori war effort.

Death

Tahiwi died on 20 December 1948 in Wellington.

References

1883 births 1948 deaths Interpreters 20th-century translators New Zealand schoolteachers New Zealand Māori schoolteachers New Zealand Māori musicians Ngāti Raukawa people Ngāti Whakaue people Te Arawa people People from Ōtaki, New Zealand New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire {{Māori-bio-stub