Rēweti Tūhorouta Kōhere (11 April 1871 – 9 August 1954) was a New Zealand Anglican clergyman, newspaper journalist and editor, farmer, writer, historian. 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, he identified with the

Ngāti Porou Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Porou is affiliated with the 28th Maori Battalion and has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi in New Zealand ...

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 ...

Early life and education

Kōhere was born in Orutua,

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

, New Zealand on 11 April 1871. His parents were Hone Hiki Kōhere and Henerata Bristow (sometimes noted as ''Peretō''), and his grandfather was

Mōkena Kōhere Mōkena Kōhere (1812 – 4 March 1894) was a New Zealand tribal leader, assessor and politician. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Ngāti Porou iwi. He was born in Rangitukia, East Coast, New Zealand. He was a member of the New Z ...

. His brothers were

Hēnare Kōhere Hēnare Mōkena Kōhere (10 March 1880 – 16 September 1916) was a New Zealand farmer and soldier. Of Māori, English and French descent, he identified with the Ngāti Porou iwi. He was born in Te Araroa, East Coast, New Zealand, on 10 Marc ...

and the Reverend

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

Poihipi Mōkena Kōhere of

Tikitiki Tikitiki is a small town in Waiapu Valley on the north bank of the Waiapu River in the Gisborne Region of the North Island of New Zealand. The area in which the town resides was formerly known as ''Kahukura''. By road, Tikitiki is north-northeast ...

. After early years of schooling at Māori schools on the East Coast, he became fluent in English when he attended Gisborne School from 1885 to 1887. He then attended

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 ...

, where he graduated as the

Dux ''Dux'' (; plural: ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, ''dux' ...

of the school and qualified for university by passing the matriculation examination in 1890.

Career

In 1891 he joined the teaching staff at Te Aute College. He attended

Canterbury College Canterbury College may refer to: * Canterbury College (Indiana), U.S. * Canterbury College (Waterford), Queensland, Australia * Canterbury College (Windsor, Ontario), Canada * Canterbury College, Kent, England * Canterbury College, Oxford, England ...

for three years from 1892, although he did not complete the BA degree course. He was assistant tutor at Te Rau Kahikatea Theological College from 1898 to 1908. In 1899 he was appointed editor of the Anglican church newspaper ''Te Pipiwharauroa''. On 14 December 1904 he married Keita Paratene, daughter of Paratene Tatae and Sarah "Hera" Halbert. Sarah was the daughter of Thomas Halbert, one of the founding fathers of Gisborne, and Kaikiri (who would later anglicise her name to Keita). Sarah was also the sister of

Kate Wyllie Kate Wyllie (early 1840s – 4 February 1913) was a New Zealand tribal leader. She was born Kate Halbert. Of Māori descent, she identified with the Rongowhakaata iwi. She was born in Tutoko, East Coast, New Zealand. She died in Remuera, Auckland, ...

(née Halbert) and half-sister of

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

Otene Pitau Otene Pitau (born Otene Pitau Halbert, 1834 – 13 August 1921) was a New Zealand Māori leader. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Rongowhakaata Rongowhakaata is a Māori '' iwi'' of the Gisborne region of New Zealand. Hapū and ...

. Her children also included All Blacks rugby players, William "Bill" Cunningham and Moana Paratene. He was ordained as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in 1907, and was appointed to Kawakawa, near

East Cape East Cape is the easternmost point of the main islands of New Zealand. It is located at the northern end of the Gisborne District of New Zealand's North Island. It can also refer to the broader Gisborne cape. East Cape was originally named "C ...

. He was ordained as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in 1910. He also studied for the examinations of the Board of Theological Studies and in 1911 was awarded the

Licentiate in Theology The Licentiate in Theology or (in Britain) Licence in Theology (LTh or, in Australia, ThL) is a non-degree qualification in theology awarded in Canada and previously awarded in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. A qualification simila ...

(LTh) in 1911. In addition to his pastoral duties, he worked with his brothers on the family farm, as well as continuing to contribute to newspapers. He contested one general election; in , he agreed to be the official Labour Party candidate in the electorate, and he came second after

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Āpirana Ngata Sir Āpirana Turupa Ngata (3 July 1874 – 14 July 1950) was a prominent New Zealand statesman. He has often been described as the foremost Māori politician to have served in Parliament in the mid-20th century, and is also known for his work ...

Literature

Kōhere annually contributed to the Māori magazine ''

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 ...

'' during its early years. Since the publication was printed bilingually (Te Reo Māori and English), Kōhere submitted Ngāti Porou poetry with his own translations. One example is "Te Oriori a Hinekitawhiti mo tana Mokopuna mo Ahuahukiterangi/Hine-ki-tawhiti’s Oriori". The translation resulted in the poem possessing an ornate style comparable to English poets

Burns Burns may refer to: * Burn, an injury (plural) People: * Burns (surname), includes list of people and characters Business: * Burns London, a British guitar maker Places: ;In the United States * Burns, Colorado, unincorporated community in Eagle ...

and

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

Sir Āpirana Ngata ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

, a contemporary of Kōhere, supplied his own translation of the oriori in ''Ngā Mōteatea: The Songs – Part I''. Ngata mentions that his version opted to be, "faithful to the original Maori, thereby sacrificing the ornate to the literal." While both translations ultimately deliver the same material, their stylistic choices result in two different experiences: Ngata's blunt usage of simple language is far more accessible when compared to Kōhere's archaic English; although, Kōhere's version requires a level of engagement from the reader that is absent in Ngata's. In the Spring issue of the same year, Kōhere's final contribution to the magazine would be published, "He Waiata A Hinetawhirirangi/Hinetawhirirangi's Song". He also received a tribute in the "Haere ki o koutou tipuna" section, where his often uncredited involvement in the

Young Māori Party The Young Māori Party was a New Zealand organisation dedicated to improving the position of Māori. It grew out of the Te Aute Students Association, established by former students of Te Aute College in 1897. It was established as the Young Māori ...

was mentioned. The magazine would make continual references to the late writer in its subsequent issues, even years later, showing his impact on the readers and editors. Kōhere's final years also saw him publish works incredibly important for the eponymous whanau: ''The Story of a Maori Chief''; and, ''The Autobiography of a Maori''.

Publications

* The story of a Maori chief, Mokena Kohere and his forbears (1949) * * He Konae Aronui or Maori Proverbs and Sayings (1951). * Nga kōrero a Reweti Kohere Mā, edited by Wiremu and Ohorere Kaa (1995).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kohere, Reweti Tuhorouta 1871 births 1954 deaths New Zealand farmers New Zealand journalists New Zealand Anglican priests 20th-century New Zealand historians Ngāti Porou people New Zealand Māori religious leaders New Zealand Māori writers People educated at Te Aute College Unsuccessful candidates in the 1938 New Zealand general election New Zealand Labour Party politicians People from the Gisborne District Halbert-Kohere family Māori-language writers