Wiremu Teihoka "Ned" Parata (1879 – 23 February 1949) was a New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

administrator. Of

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Poi ...

descent, Parata was born at Puketeraki, near

Karitane The small town of Karitane is located within the limits of the city of Dunedin in New Zealand, 35 kilometres to the north of the city centre. Set in rolling country near the mouth of the Waikouaiti River, the town is a popular holiday retreat f ...

. He was the youngest son of

Tame Parata Tame Parata (1837 – 6 March 1917), also known as Thomas Pratt, was a Māori and a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand. Parata was born on Ruapuke Island in Foveaux Strait. His father was a Captain Trapp, a whaler from ...

and younger brother of

Taare Parata Taare Rakatauhake Parata (1865 – 8 January 1918), also known as Charles Rere Parata, was a Māori and a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand. Parata was born at Puketeraki near Karitane in 1865, the son of Tame Parata (later ...

. Educated at

Te Aute College Te Aute College (Māori language, Māori: Te Kura o Te Aute) is a school in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. It opened in 1854 with twelve pupils under Samuel Williams (missionary), Samuel Williams, an Anglicanism, Anglican missionary, and n ...

, Parata became a rugby union administrator after his playing days were ended by serious illness. He organised the first official New Zealand Māori rugby team in 1910 and managed the side on its tour of Australia. He underwrote the cost of touring with the profits from his motor car business. He subsequently managed the team on tours to Australia in 1913, 1922 and 1923. He also managed the team on their 1926–27 tour of New Zealand, Australia, Ceylon, France, England, Wales and Canada. In 1911, Parata became the first president of the

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union (''also referred to as "Bay of Plenty" or "BOPRU"'') is the governing body for rugby union in a portion of the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. Its colours are dark blue and yellow in a hooped design. The BOP ...

, a position he held until 1925. He served on the New Zealand Rugby Management Committee between 1922 and 1926 in his capacity as president of the Māori Advisory Board. In 1943 he was the first Māori to be made a life member 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 ...

. Parata stood for election to the New Zealand parliament as the United/Reform Coalition candidate in the

1932 Southern Maori by-election The Southern Maori by-election of 1932 was a by-election during the 24th New Zealand Parliament. The election was held on 3 August 1932. The seat of Southern Maori became vacant following the death of the sitting member Tuiti Makitanara. Six c ...

. He was unsuccessful, finishing a distant second behind the Ratana candidate

Eruera Tirikatene Sir Eruera Tihema Te Aika Tirikatene (5 January 1895 – 11 January 1967) was a New Zealand Māori politician of the Ngāi Tahu tribe. Known in early life as Edward James Te Aika Tregerthen, he was the first Ratana Member of Parliament and wa ...

. In the 1948 King's Birthday Honours, Parata 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. Parata died at Seacliff Hospital near

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

in 1949.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parata, Ned 1870s births 1949 deaths Ngāi Tahu people People educated at Te Aute College New Zealand referees and umpires New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire United Party (New Zealand) politicians People from Otago Māori politicians