Tuiti Makitanara (8 August 1874 – 24 June 1932), sometimes known as Sweet MacDonald, was a

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 ...

and United Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand.

Early life and family

Rangitāne Rangitāne is a Māori people, Māori iwi (tribe). Their rohe (territory) is in the Manawatū-Whanganui, Manawatū, Horowhenua, Wairarapa and Marlborough Region, Marlborough areas of New Zealand.Ngāti Kuia Ngāti Kuia is a Māori iwi of the Northern South Island in New Zealand. They first settled in the Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere, and later spread to the Marlborough Sounds, Nelson and Tasman districts to Taitapu on the West Coast, and as far south ...

Muaūpoko Muaūpoko is a Māori iwi on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand. Muaūpoko are descended from the ancestor Tara, whose name has been given to many New Zealand landmarks, most notably Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington). His people were known as Ngā ...

and

Ngāti Apa Ngāti Apa is a Māori iwi (tribe) in Rangitikei District of New Zealand. Its rohe (traditional tribal lands) extend between the Mangawhero, Whangaehu, Turakina and Rangitīkei rivers. This area is bounded by Whanganui River in the north-west, ...

descent, Makitanara was born at Havelock in 1874. His mother was Rina Puhipuhi Meihana and his father was Teoti MacDonald. Predominantly self-educated, Makitanara began working as a farmer with his father at age 14, and later became a flaxmiller in

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

and at Foxton. He married Karaitiana McGregor in about 1889 and the couple had eight children. Makitanara assisted

Elsdon Best Elsdon Best (30 June 1856 – 9 September 1931) was an ethnographer who made important contributions to the study of the Māori of New Zealand. Early years Elsdon Best was born 30 June 1856 at Tawa Flat, New Zealand, to William Best and the fo ...

and William John Elvy with the collection of Māori history in Marlborough, took an active interest in Māori land issues and education, and assisted with the recruitment of Māori during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Member of Parliament

Makitanara first stood for Parliament at the 1925 general election as an independent candidate for

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

, finishing second, 16 votes behind the incumbent,

Henare Uru Henare Whakatau Uru (1872 – 7 March 1929) was a New Zealand politician. He was the Reform Party Member of Parliament for Southern Maori from 1922 to 1928. Early life and family Uru was born at Kaiapoi in 1872. His father was Hoani Uru, a far ...

, in a field of five. At the 1928 general election, Makitanara once again stood for the Southern Maori seat, this time as the candidate of the United Party. He tied with the

Rātana The Rātana movement ( mi, Te Haahi Rātana) is a church and pan-''iwi'' political movement founded by Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana in early 20th-century New Zealand. The Rātana Church has its headquarters at the settlement of Rātana Pā near W ...

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 ...

, 198 votes each, but was elected on the casting vote of the returning officer. Makitanara was re-elected in the 1931 general election, defeating Tirikatene with a majority of 20 votes. However, he died suddenly at Hokio Beach, near Levin, less than seven months later, on 24 June 1932.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makitanara, Tuiti 1874 births 1932 deaths Rangitāne people Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō people Ngāti Kuia people Muaūpoko people People from Havelock, New Zealand Unsuccessful candidates in the 1925 New Zealand general election United Party (New Zealand) MPs New Zealand MPs for Māori electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives