Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia
Ko Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia (1868-1920) nō Te Rarawa, nō Ngāti Te Rēinga, nō Ngāti Manawa me Te Kaitūtae. I whānau mai ia i te 22 o Mei 1868 i tētahi wāhi e tata ana ki Panguru i te moana o Te Hokianga. Ko tana tāne ko Hāmiora Mangakāhia, he rangatira o Hauraki i tohungia i 1892 hei Pirimia mō te Pāremata Māori, arā mō te Kotahitanga. Nō te 18 o Mei i te tau 1893 i tū te hui a te Pāremata o te Kotahitanga i Heretaunga; ka puta te mōtini a Meri Te Tai kia whai wāhi ngā wāhine ki te pōtitanga. Ka tū a Meri ki te tautoko ki tana mōtini i roto i te Pāremata – ko ia tonu te wahine tuatahi i kōrero ki taua huinga.
Ka mea atu a Meri kia tukua ngā wāhine kia pōti, kia noho hei Mema o te Pāremata Māori. Ki tāna whakaaro, nō te mea ka taea e te wahine te noho hei rangatira i runga i ōna whenua, nā reira me āhei rātou ki te whakaputa kōrero. Kāhore tāna mōtini i kawea. Ahakoa tērā, ka pūmau ia ki ngā tōrangapū Māori i tāna mahi hei mema o te Komiti Wāhine o te Kotahitanga; he mema kaha ia ki ngā kaupapa e pā ana ki te oranga o te iwi. Nā tēnei komiti te ara mō te Rōpū Wāhine Toko i te Ora i whakapuare.
Ka pāngia a Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia e te rewharewha, ā, ka hemo ia i te 10 o Oketopa 1920. E 52 ōna tau.
Tohutoro
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