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Te Puea Hērangi (9 November 1883 – 12 October 1952), known by the name Princess Te Puea, 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 Co ...
leader from New Zealand's
Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...
region. Her mother, Tiahuia, was the elder sister of King Mahuta.


Early life

She was born at Whatiwhatihoe, near
Pirongia Pirongia is a small town in the Waipā District of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is 12 kilometres to the west of Te Awamutu, on the banks of the Waipā River, close to the foot of the 962 metre Mount Pirongia, which lies i ...
, in the Waikato, daughter of Te Tahuna Hērangi and Tiahuia. Te Tahuna Hērangi was the son of William Nicholas Searancke, an English surveyor. Tiahuia was daughter of the second Māori king,
Tāwhiao ''Kīngitanga, Kīngi'' Tāwhiao (Tūkaroto Matutaera Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Tāwhiao, ; c. 1822 – 26 August 1894), known initially as Matutaera, reigned as the Māori King Movement, Māori King from 1860 until his death. After his flight to ...
Te Wherowhero, by his principal wife. As the eventual successor to her grandfather, she was educated in the traditional Māori ways. At age 12 she began attending Mercer Primary School and then went on to attend Mangere Bridge School and Melmerly College in Parnell. She was fluent in speaking and writing
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 Co ...
and she could speak English, but her written English was very poor. She married Rāwiri Tūmōkai Kātipa in 1922. She was unable to have children. In her twenties, Te Puea settled at Mangatāwhiri and began dairy farming. She began collecting and recording waiata (songs), whakapapa (genealogies) and kōrero tawhito (history) from her extended family.


Leadership role

When her mother died in 1898, Te Puea returned home reluctantly at the age of 15, supposedly to take her mother's place. However, being young and believing also that she was dying of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
, she rejected the traditional role expected of her and cut herself off from her people. This phase passed and in 1911 she returned to her people and resumed her hereditary role. Her first task, the one that re-established her
mana Mana may refer to: Religion and mythology * Mana (Oceanian cultures), the spiritual life force energy or healing power that permeates the universe in Melanesian and Polynesian mythology * Mana (food), archaic name for manna, an edible substance m ...
among her people, was to successfully campaign on behalf of
Māui Pōmare Sir Māui Wiremu Piti Naera Pōmare (1875 or 1876 – 27 June 1930) was a New Zealand medical doctor and politician, being counted among the more prominent Māori political figures. He is particularly known for his efforts to improve Māori he ...
in his election bid to become the Kingite Member of
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
. Te Puea later fell out with Pōmare because he supported Māori soldiers fighting for New Zealand overseas. Te Puea worked against this behind Pōmare's back. He became aware of her attitude and in the winter of 1918 attended an anti-conscription hui called by Te Puea where he was roundly abused by all the elders of the Kīngitanga. Te Puea's support base was mainly with the lower Waikato tribes initially – she was a minor figure for up-river iwi such as Maniapoto. Because of Waikato's anti-government stance on conscription during WW1 and Te Puea's personal involvement in hiding conscripts, she was not a popular figure with government or local Pākehā after WW1. After WW1, farmers were reluctant to offer Kingites work and during the Royal visit of the Prince of Wales the Kingites' desire to host the prince was snubbed in favour of an Arawa visit that was open to all Māori to attend. Arawa had been selected as they had the experience and facilities to host a large Māori occasion. They were an iwi that had remained loyal to the government, taking an active part against the Kingites in the land wars and playing a full role in WW1.


Achievements

She was soon acknowledged as one of the leaders of the Kīngitanga Movement and worked to make it part of the central focus of the Māori people. She also began farming at Mangatāwhiri. Te Puea was firmly opposed to
conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...
when it was introduced in 1917 and provided a refuge at her farm for those who refused to be conscripted into the
New Zealand Army The New Zealand Army (, ) is the principal Army, land warfare force of New Zealand, a component of the New Zealand Defence Force alongside the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed in 1845, as the New Zealand Mil ...
. Following the influenza epidemic of 1918, she took under her wing some 100 orphans, who were the founding members of the community of
Tūrangawaewae Tūrangawaewae () is a marae and a royal residence in Ngāruawāhia, Waikato, New Zealand. It is the official residence of the Māori monarch and the administrative headquarters of the Kīngitanga movement. Of its numerous buildings, the two ...
at
Ngāruawāhia Ngāruawāhia () is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located north-west of Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato River, Waikato and Waipā Rivers, adjacent to the Hakarimata Rang ...
. It was through Tūrangawaewae that Te Puea began to extend her influence beyond the Waikato Region. The construction of its carved meeting house was strongly supported by Sir Āpirana Ngata and 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. It has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi, behind Ngāpuhi, with an estimated 102,480 people according to the ...
people. She became friendly with the
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
,
Gordon Coates Joseph Gordon Coates (3 February 1878 – 27 May 1943) served as the 21st prime minister of New Zealand from 1925 to 1928. He was the third successive Reform prime minister since 1912. Born in rural Northland, Coates grew up on a farm, which ...
who was raised in a rural community where many Māori lived, and with journalist Eric Ramsden who publicised her tours and the development of the Kīngitanga base at Tūrangawaewae. Coates was keen to lift Waikato Māori out of their sullen depression by addressing land grievances. Coates had been shocked at the conditions in which Waikato Māori lived-calling them the poorest people he had seen in his life. It was through her friendship with Ramsden that articles about her and her work began to appear in the national newspapers. In these she was usually identified as Princess Te Puea, a title that she herself deplored, saying that the role of princess does not exist in Māoritanga. Pōmare pointed out that neither does King. During 1913 and 1914 the Māori community suffered a
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
epidemic. The main problem was that many of them believed that disease was a punishment from displeased spirits, and refused to go to Pākehā hospitals. In response, Te Puea set up a small settlement of
nīkau ''Rhopalostylis sapida'', commonly known as nīkau, is a palm tree endemic to New Zealand, and the only palm native to mainland New Zealand. Etymology is a word borrowed from the Māori language; cognates of this word in the closely related E ...
huts devoted to nursing people back to health. This was successful as not one person died and the isolation of the village largely prevented spread of disease. Te Puea's main drive was to establish Tūrangawaewae as a base for the Kīngitanga but she was always short of funds. In 1922 she decided to raise money for her ambitious building programme by starting a Māori concert party called Te Pou o Mangawhiri . Choosing this name (the place where General Cameron crossed into rebel held territory in 1863) she hoped to remind the Pākehā of the war and the confiscations. TPM, as it was known, travelled around New Zealand performing haka, poi dances, Hawaiian hula dances, with steel guitars, mandolins, banjos and ukuleles. In a three-month tour the group saved 900 pounds which was used to build a new kitchen dining room. Te Puea restarted the Kīngitanga taxation scheme whereby all Kīngitanga supporters were required to pay levies to support Kīngatanga programmes. This was commonly called the whitebait levy. At other times Te Puea levied every supporter for an additional donation of 2s 6d. Te Puea was known to keep meticulous records of these finances.


Tour of the East Coast and controversy over gifted farm

During her tour of the East Coast in the late 1930s Te Puea visited Ngāti Porou marae where, to her surprise, she was accepted, despite her links to the King movement which Ngāti Porou had always despised for its isolation and backwardness. For her part Te Puea was surprised at the affluence that Ngāti Porou enjoyed as well as their acceptance of European lifestyle. The East coast tour was a great success and raised more money for Tūrangawaewae buildings. Following this she was invited to Wellington to take part in a wide range of official and social arrangements. Te Puea used the contacts she had made, especially with Māori MP and minister Āpirana Ngata to further her development of the Kīngitanga base. She was able to acquire from the government a block of land near the meeting house for growing vegetables, increased pensions and a local post box. The Prime Minister
Gordon Coates Joseph Gordon Coates (3 February 1878 – 27 May 1943) served as the 21st prime minister of New Zealand from 1925 to 1928. He was the third successive Reform prime minister since 1912. Born in rural Northland, Coates grew up on a farm, which ...
also gave her a 200-acre farm, built her a house and made a gift of £1,000 for farm development; and also subsidised a Māori workers' hostel in Tuakau. Coates said this was given in recognition of her work for Waikato orphans and the poor but also to consolidate her political support at a time when the Rātana church was becoming a major and threatening political force. Ngata gave Te Puea government loans and another 300-acre block to grow food to support the Kīngitanga. This farm needed a developer and an experienced Pākehā farmer paid for by the government was appointed supervisor. Ngata fired him and replaced him with Te Puea. She was given a car so she could move around the three farms. Her husband was given another farm at Tikitere in Rotorua. However concerns were raised in Parliament about how Ngata was operating and misusing government funds in 1934. This led to an investigation held by a Royal Commission that found there had been a host of irregularities involving the expenditure of £500,000. Labour MP
Bob Semple Robert Semple (21 October 1873 – 31 January 1955) was a union leader and later Minister of Public Works for the first Labour Government of New Zealand. He is also known for creating the Bob Semple tank. Early life Semple was born in Sofala ...
said that the commission revealed one of the worst specimens of abuse of political power, maladministration and misappropriation of public funds. Ngata resigned. In 1935, she was awarded the
King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver Ju ...
. Te Puea was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
, for social welfare services, in the
1937 Coronation Honours The 1937 Coronation Honours were awarded in honour of the coronation of George VI. Royal Honours Order of the Thistle * The Queen Royal Victorian Chain * The Queen * Queen Mary * Clive, Baron Wigram Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) * The Que ...
. Initially she was confused and reluctant to accept the award because of her dealings with the government. The CBE was awarded for her self-sacrificing devotion and stupendous personal efforts and extraordinary capacity for leadership and organisation, with a talent for diplomacy in her dealings with other tribes and leaders amongst the Pakeha... she turned idle lands into productive excellent farms. A year later another carved meeting house was opened by the
Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
, Lord Galway.


1940s

In 1940 she bought a farm near Ngāruawāhia and began developing it provide an economic base for the Tūrangawaewae community. It was there that she began teaching the beliefs that would sustain the King Movement: work, faith (specifically the
Pai Mārire The Pai Mārire movement (commonly known as Hauhau) was a syncretic Māori religion founded in Taranaki by the prophet Te Ua Haumēne. It flourished in the North Island from about 1863 to 1874. Pai Mārire incorporated biblical and Māori sp ...
faith, which became strongly established in the Waikato region), and pan-Māori unity through the King Movement. Te Puea always stressed the importance of
iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...
over
hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...
(the tribe over the sub-tribe or family grouping). The Government planned nationwide celebrations for the centenary in 1940 of the signing of the
Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...
, the document that founded modern New Zealand. Initially Te Puea was in favour, but then withdrew her support when the government refused her request that the Māori king be given the same tax status as the governor-general. At the time she said:


Reconciliation with Pākehā

Te Puea was raised by people who had fought war to resist the government
invasion of the Waikato The invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...
in 1863, and by people who had lived through the bitter years that followed. She had little reason to love or trust Pākehā. However, as time went by she came to see the need for reconciliation. In 1946 Te Puea approached the government to say the tribe would be willing to accept money to compensate for the loss of lands after the defeat of the Kīngitanga in 1863. A large meeting was held at Tūrangawaewae in which a wide range of opinions were aired. Then the leadership met privately with Prime Minister
Peter Fraser Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand Lab ...
and worked out what would be accepted by the tribe. A deal had already been settled with Taranaki tribes and Waikato were keen to do better. The final deal gave Waikato nearly twice the income of Taranaki. The deal was accepted by Roore Edwards at the urging of Te Puea. After nearly 20 years of negotiation she accepted, on behalf of Tainui, a settlement offered by the Prime Minister of an initial grant of 10,000 pounds and 5,000 pounds (later $15,000) a year spread over 40 years. No provision was made for inflation which at that time was very low. By the time the deal was presented to the tribe the next day the money had been increased again to 6,000 pounds for 50 years and thereafter 5,000 pounds in perpetuity. She recognised this as an acceptable offer. However the payment acknowledged that a grievous wrong had been done to her people. Te Puea also built Tūrangawaewae marae and has a statue of her in front of the house called Mahinārangi.


Later life

In the last few years of her life, Te Puea fell out with many of the Māori and Pākehā friends who had worked with her for most of her adult life. She became increasingly demanding and unreasonable when she did not get her way. Te Puea died at her home after a long illness. During her lifetime, she had raised the profile of the King Movement, especially outside of Waikato, and had helped raise the standard of living of Waikato to that of other Māori. In December 1947, Te Puea became a member of a trust that administered a Māori land reserve in Māngere Bridge,
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
. The land had been settled in the 19th century by her
Ngāti Mahuta Ngāti Mahuta is a sub-tribe (or hapū) of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato tribe (or iwi) of Māori people, Māori in the North Island of New Zealand. The territory (rohe) of Ngāti Mahuta is the Kawhia Harbour, Kawhia and Huntly, New Zealand, Hunt ...
relatives, including
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (died 25 June 1860) was a Māori people, Māori rangatira who reigned as the inaugural Māori King Movement, Māori King from 1858 until his death. A powerful nobleman and a leader of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato iwi of the ...
, prior to his becoming the first Māori King, and Kati Takiwaru. Confiscated prior to the
invasion of the Waikato The invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...
, a section of the land was returned by the Native Land Court to Ngāti Mahuta individuals, including Te Puea's mother, Tiahuia, in 1890. Before her death, Te Puea expressed a wish for a marae to be built at the site, and in 1965 the
Te Puea Memorial Marae Te Puea Memorial Marae is a marae located in Māngere Bridge (suburb), Māngere Bridge, Auckland, New Zealand. Opened in 1965, it was the first urban marae in Auckland, built for all Māori instead of a specific iwi, but in particular as a commu ...
was opened, named after her to acknowledge her contributions to the people of Aotearoa. In 1998, Te Puea was posthumously inducted into the
New Zealand Business Hall of Fame The New Zealand Business Hall of Fame is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to New Zealanders who have made a significant contribution to the economic and social development of New Zealand. The hall was established in 1994 by the Young Enterpri ...
.


Biography by Michael King

In 1974 the historian Michael King, who had worked for the ''Waikato Times'' and learnt te reo Māori, became interested in writing about Te Puea. He discovered there was very little written about her and wanted to write about her while the people who knew her at first hand, were still alive. King tried to persuade the Māori author
Pei te Hurinui Jones Pei Te Hurinui Jones (9 September 1898 – 7 May 1976) was a Māori political leader, writer, genealogist, and historian. As a leader of the Tainui tribal confederation and of the Māori King Movement, he participated in negotiations with t ...
, to write the biography but he refused, saying he knew too much about her. Jones said it would be difficult to write about Te Puea without damaging her reputation (mana). After discussions with the tribe and Dame Te Atairangikaahu it was agreed that King would write her biography. He was given restricted access to many of Te Puea's papers by Alex McKay, formerly Te Puea's secretary. McKay said he could not have all the papers as there was too much private and family information that should remain confidential. Many of Te Puea's elderly friends gave valuable time to King. Within a few years nearly all were dead. After the book was published some non-Waikato/Tainui Māori criticised them for allowing a Pākehā to write about a highly tapu person.''Being Pakeha''. M. King. Penguin, 2004. Ch 6. The Te Puea Trail.


References


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Herangi, Te Puea 1883 births 1952 deaths New Zealand women farmers Ngāti Mahuta people Māori politicians New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century New Zealand women New Zealand Māori women People of the Māori Women's Welfare League People from Waikato 20th-century New Zealand farmers New Zealand Māori farmers 20th-century New Zealand women farmers 20th-century Māori tribal leaders Māori King movement