Tāmati Ngāpora (died 5 August 1885) was a New Zealand Waikato leader, lay preacher, assessor and adviser to the

Māori King 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 ...

. Ngāpora was born in the early 19th century to parents Hore and Kahurimu, and belonged to

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 ...

. His father Hore was a brother of Te Rauangaanga, the chief of Ngāti Mahuta, and so Ngāpora was a cousin of

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 ...

, the first Māori King. Ngāpora and his family became Christians, and he took the name Tāmati (Thomas). He married his cousin Hera. Although not initially in favour of an intertribal Māori kingship, Ngāpora acted as the King movement's representative to the

Governor of New Zealand A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

after Te Wherowhero became king in 1858. Te Wherowhero proposed that Ngāpora should succeed him, but others favoured Te Wherowhero's son

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 ...

, who duly succeeded him. When the Government invaded the Waikato in 1863, Ngāpora took refuge in the

King Country The King Country ( Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...

with Tāwhiao. Ngāpora changed his name to Manuhiri (meaning guest) to signify his exile. Ngāpora became Tāwhiao's closest adviser. His daughter Hera married Tāwhiao and was his principal wife and mother of the third Māori King,

Mahuta Mahuta is one of 11 islands in the Rakahanga atoll of the Cook Islands. It is on the east of the atoll, between the islets of Huananui and Okakara Okakara is one of 11 islands in the Rakahanga atoll of the Cook Islands. It is on the east of t ...

. Ngāpora remained living at Whatiwhatihoe, the royal village in the King Country, and died there on 5 August 1885. He was believed to be about 80 years old.

References

1885 deaths New Zealand Māori religious leaders Waikato Tainui people Ngāti Mahuta people Year of birth missing {{Māori-bio-stub