Michael Rotohiko Jones (14 September 1895 – 24 January 1978) was a New Zealand interpreter, land agent, sportsman, private secretary, public administrator and broadcaster.

Early life

Rotohiko was born in Poro-o-Tarao, King Country, New Zealand, on 14 September 1895. Rotohiko's mother, Pare Te Kōrae was descended from the Ngāti Maniapoto iwi. His father, David Lewis, was a Pākehā storekeeper at Poro-o-Tarāo of Jewish descent. They had two sons, Michael Rotohiko, known as 'Mick', and Pei Te Hurinui Jones, who was born in 1898. Lewis did not return to New Zealand after the Second Boer War. Pare Te Kōrae remarried to David Jones, of Nga Puhi, and both sons adopted their step-father's surname. They moved to Te Kawakawa, where Pare Te Kōrae died in 1915. Jones attended primary school at

Ongarue Ongarue ( mi, Ōngarue) is a rural community in the Ruapehu District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located south of Te Kuiti and Waimiha, and north of Taumarunui. It is in meshblock 1041902, which had a popul ...

and Te Kuiti and proceeded to secondary education at Wesley Technical College in Auckland, and the Maori Boys' Agricultural College at

Manunui Manunui (Māori ''manu'' ''nui'' or "big bird") is a small Whanganui River settlement, about east of Taumarunui on State Highway 4, in New Zealand's King Country. It was once known as Waimarino, but John Burnand of the Ellis and Burnand sawmilling ...

, near at Taumarunui. In World War I he joined the Māori Pioneer Battalion and served on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

from 1916 to 1919, achieving the position of

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...

and receiving the Military Medal. After the war, Jones worked as a land agent in Te Kuiti. In 1922, he moved to Hāwera, Taranaki, and set up his own business, working as a land agent and interpreter. He served on Hāwera's Borough Council and Hospital Board, and as president of the South Taranaki branch of the

RSA RSA may refer to: Organizations Academia and education * Rabbinical Seminary of America, a yeshiva in New York City *Regional Science Association International (formerly the Regional Science Association), a US-based learned society *Renaissance S ...

. He also joined the local

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

and was probably Rotary's first Māori member.

Career

Rotohiko, along with his brother Pei, and

Leslie George Kelly Leslie George Kelly (10 May 1906 – 6 August 1959) was a New Zealand journalist, engine driver and historian. Kelly's father, Sidney Mellish Kelly, was descended from Edward Meurant, a trader and interpreter at Kawhia in the 1830s, and his wife ...

, was involved in the Kingitanga, as an advisor to Te Puea of Turangawaewae, the Māori king

Korokī Mahuta Korokī Te Rata Mahuta Tāwhiao Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (16 June 1906 – 18 May 1966) was the fifth Māori King. He was the elder son of the fourth Māori King, Te Rata Mahuta, and Te Uranga Matai of the Ngāti Korokī tribe. He was named Koro ...

, and his successor, Queen Te Atairangikaahu. Te Puea, referred to Pei and Rotohiko as "those bloody Hurai" (Jews), as their father was Jewish.''Being Pakeha Now''. M. King. Penguin. 2004.P 130 In 1928, the Sim Native Land Confiscation commission recommended that Tainui should be compensated for the land confiscations that followed the invasion of the Waikato in 1863. This initiated a long series of negotiations, in which Jones acted as a negotiator. In 1940, through the intervention of

Apirana Ngata Apirana is a male given name of New Zealand Maori origin meaning 'Pleasant; Kind' and may refer to: *Āpirana Ngata Sir Āpirana Turupa Ngata (3 July 1874 – 14 July 1950) was a prominent New Zealand statesman. He has often been described as ...

, Jones became the private secretary to the

Minister of Native Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

, then Frank Langstone. He was sometimes referred to as the 'de facto minister' on account of the influence he wielded in this post. In 1946, at Turangawaewae marae in Ngāruawāhia, Jones, his brother Pei, Prime Minister Peter Fraser and Minister of Native Affairs Rex Mason hashed out a settlement deal which became the

Waikato-Maniapoto Maori Claims Settlement Act 1946 The Waikato-Maniapoto Maori Claims Settlement Act 1946 was an act passed by the New Zealand Parliament on 7 October 1946. The purpose of the act was "to effect a Final Settlement of certain Claims relating to the Confiscation of Maori Lands in ...

. Jones and Rangi Royal organised the implementation of the Maori Social and Economic Advancement Act 1945, which led to the establishment of the Maori Women's Welfare League in 1951. Jones was the League's auditor, helping it to develop its initial policy. In 1947, Jones organised the official Tainui party to Tonga for the double royal wedding of Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV and his brother

Fatafehi Tuʻipelehake Prince Fatafehi Tuʻipelehake (Sione Ngū Manumataongo; 7 January 1922 – 10 April 1999) was the youngest son of Queen Sālote Tupou III and was educated in Tonga and Australia. Tu'ipelehake is a traditional very high-ranking Tongan title. He ...

. He held a string of further positions in the Department of Māori Affairs: Liaison Officer for the minister (1947-1949, 1959-1962), Assistant Controller of the Welfare Division (1950), Employment Officer (1950-1953), and Registrar to the Ikaroa and

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

districts of the Māori Land Court. He was chairman of the

Ngāti Pōneke Ngāti Pōneke Young Māori Club is an Urban Māori cultural club that was formed in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1937. It is a pan-tribal group of Māori who reside in Wellington (like Ngāti Ākarana in Auckland and Ngāti Rānana in London ...

Māori Association, which represents the

Urban Māori Urban Māori are Māori people living in urban areas outside the ''rohe'' (traditional tribal lands) of their ''iwi'' (tribe) or ''hapū'' (sub-tribe). The 2013 New Zealand census showed that 84% of Māori in New Zealand lived in urban areas, 25% ...

of Wellington, from 1950 until he retired in 1962. Jones was a prominent advocate of the

Māori language Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...

. He was the examiner of the Māori language

University Entrance A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', whic ...

exam and read the news in Māori on New Zealand radio. He was on the managing board of the journal ''

Te Ao Hou / The New World ''Te Ao Hou / The New World'' was a quarterly magazine published in New Zealand from 1952 to 1975. It was published by the Māori Affairs Department and printed by Pegasus Press. It was bilingual, with articles in both English and Māori, and c ...

'', sat on the council of the Polynesian Society from 1939 to 1955, and then served as its president. In the

1961 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1961 were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 31 December 1960 in the U ...

, Jones 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 to the Māori people. In the

1975 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1975 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were published on 6 June 1975 for ...

, he was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire, again for services to the Māori people.

Personal life

Jones married Kahuwaero Hetet (died 1994) at Ongarue on 14 January 1920. They had four sons and three daughters, including Tūtahanga Jones. Jones died at Ōtorohanga on 24 January 1978. He is buried in the military section of the cemetery of Te Tokanganui-a-noho marae, Te Kuiti.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Michael Rotohiko 1895 births 1978 deaths New Zealand Māori sportspeople Interpreters Ngāti Maniapoto people New Zealand Māori broadcasters New Zealand Māori public servants New Zealand recipients of the Military Medal New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century translators New Zealand justices of the peace