Wiremu "Piri" Te Ranga Poutapu (8 June 1905 – 20 August 1975) was a New Zealand

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 ...

master carver and carpenter. He identified with the Ngāti Korokī and Waikato

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 ...

. He was born in

Maungatautari Maungatautari is a mountain, rural community, and ecological area near Cambridge in the Waikato region in New Zealand's central North Island. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "mountain of the upright ...

, Waikato, New Zealand in 1905. He was known as Piri, the Māori transliteration of Bill, short for William, of which his first name Wiremu is the Māori transliteration. Poutapu was a protégé of Te Puea Herangi who sent him to the School of Maori Arts at

Ohinemutu Ohinemutu or Ōhinemutu is a suburb in Rotorua, New Zealand. It includes a living Māori village and the original settlement of Rotorua. Demographics The statistical area of Kuirau, which corresponds to Ohinemutu, covers and had an estimated p ...

in 1929. He spent three years there learning adzeing, carving and traditional lore from

Eramiha Neke Kapua Eramiha Neke Kapua (c.1875–7 July 1955) was a New Zealand carver, tohunga and farmer. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Ngāti Tarāwhai and Te Arawa iwi. He was born in Ruato, Lake Rotoiti, New Zealand circa 1875. His father was Ne ...

. During this time he also worked with brothers

Pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

and Hone Taiapa, leading

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 ...

carvers. In 1932 he returned to Ngāruawāhia where he established a carving school. One of his pupils was

Inia Te Wiata Inia Morehu Tauhia Watene Iarahi Waihurihia Te Wiata (10 June 191526 June 1971) was a New Zealand Māori bass-baritone opera singer, film actor, whakairo (carver) and artist. Early life Inia Te Wiata was born in Ōtaki, New Zealand, into the Ng ...

. Poutapu was one of the leaders in the building of Turongo, the Māori king's official residence at Turangawaewae Marae, between 1934 and 1938. He was a confidant and secretary to Māori king Korokī and was then a member of the Tekau-ma-rua (council of twelve) for Māori queen Te Atairangikaahu. Some of Poutapu's best known carvings include carvings for

Rotorua Boys' High School Rotorua Boys' High School is a state school educating boys from Year 9 to Year 13. It is situated just outside the Rotorua, Rotorua CBD at the intersection of Old Taupo Road and Pukuatua Street in Rotorua, New Zealand. History Rotorua Boys' High ...

and Te Aute College, as well as restoring the Te Winika and Ngātokimatawhaorua

war canoe A war canoe is a watercraft of the canoe type designed and outfitted for warfare, and which is found in various forms in many world cultures. In modern times, such designs have become adapted as a sport, and "war canoe" can mean a type of flatwat ...

s. The 1974 National Film Unit documentary
Taahere Tikitiki - the making of a Maori canoe
- records the 18 month long construction of a waka taua - the Taahere Tikitiki that Piri worked on. Poutapu was appointed a

Member 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 Māori arts and crafts, in the 1974 Queen's Birthday Honours. He died at Turangawaewae Marae on 20 August 1975 and was buried on Mount Taupiri.

References

1905 births 1975 deaths Carpenters New Zealand woodcarvers New Zealand Māori carvers Waikato Tainui people People from Ngāruawāhia New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire {{NewZealand-artist-stub