Te Rauparaha
Ko Te Rauparaha (? - 1849) he rangatira nō Ngāti Toa. Ko ia te tama a Werawera o Ngāti Toa rāua ko tana wahine tuarua a Parekōwhatu (Parekōhatu) o Ngāti Raukawa. He tamariki tonu ia i te taenga mai o Kāpene Kuki (James Cook) ki Aotearoa nei. Mehemea kei te tika tēnei, e tinga ana nō te tekau tau atu i 1760, te wā i whānau ai ia. Kāore i te mōhiotia menā i whānau ki Kāwhia, ki te kāinga rānei o tana whaea i Maungatautari. He uri nō Hoturoa o Tainui waka. Ko ōna mātua i heke ngātahi mai i ngā tūpuna taketake o ō rāua matawaka. Ahakoa ehara nō te kāhui tumu whakarae, i riro i a ia te tūranga kaingārahu o tōna iwi, nā runga tonu rā i tōna hikareia ki te tiaki i ngā take e pā ana ki tōna iwi, me tana pūkenga hoki i te kauhanga riri. Ahakoa te potopoto o te tū, he tangata pakari, he kōpaka rā hoki. He rite te ihu ki tō te ngutu kākā ina anga kōtaha mai ana. I a ia ka nanawe, ka kanapa ngā karu ka piko whakararo te tupere o tana ngutu o raro.
Ko te pūtake o tana ingoa
takatāHe whakamahara te ingoa o Te Rauparaha ki te taunu a tētahi rangatira o Waikato, i a ia e tamariki ana, i puta ana kupu whakahāwea ka patua e ia, otirā ka tukua ia ki te hāngī, ko ngā rau parahā hei rautao. Ko te kāinga taketake o Te Rauparaha, ko Kāwhia. Nā Te Rauparaha a Ngāti Toa i ārahi i tōna pakanga roa ki ngā iwi o Waikato. Nā ngā parekura o Ngāti Toa i aua pakanga, ka wehe atu ōna iwi i te takiwā o Waikato ki wāhi kē. I ngā tau 1820, ka ārahina e ia a Ngāti Toa me ōna hoa i tō rātou heke nui ki Te Upoko-o-te-Ika. Kua whiwhi pū a Ngāti Toa, nō reira ka raru i a rātou ngā iwi o ngā rohe o te tonga i ngā pakanga mō te whenua. Mai i Kāpiti Motu, ka whakahaeretia e Te Rauparaha te whakaekenga o ngā iwi o Te Tauihu o Te Waka-a-Māui, ā, ka kōkiritia e ia ngā pā o Ngāi Tahu, tae rawa atu ki Kaiapoi.
Ngā raruraru ki Whakatū
takatāI te tau 1839 ka hokona e Te Rauparaha he whenua i Whakatū me Te Taitapu ki te Kamupene o Niu Tīreni, ā, nō te tau 1840 ka hainatia e ia te Tiriti o Waitangi – e rua rawa ana hainatanga, ki ētahi kape e rua – i runga i te whakaaro mā reira pea e riro mai ai i a ia te tino mana o ngā whenua kua raupatutia e ia. I muri ka ātete tonu a Te Rauparaha ki ngā mahi a te Kamupene o Niu Tīreni ki te rūri i te whenua kīhai i hokona atu e ia. I te pakanga nui i Te Wairau i te tau 1843, ka kauparea atu e rātou ko ana kaitautoko tētahi ope Pākehā kua tae mai ki te whakarau i a ia. E 22 ngā kaiwhakanoho Pākehā i mate, me ētahi o te taha Māori. I te wehi nui ngā kaiwhakanoho Pākehā i Pōneke me te Awakairangi kei tāorotia rātou e Ngāti Toa. I te marama o Hōngongoi i te tau 1846, ka kōkiritia te pā o Te Rauparaha e Kāwana Hōri Kerei, ka mauheretia ia. I mauheretia ia, ahakoa kāore i tika i raro i te ture, taea noatia te marama o Kohi-tātea 1848. Ko te mahi a Kerei i roto i aua marama, he tukituki i a Ngāti Toa.
Tohutoro
takatā- Burns, P. Te Rauparaha. Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara, 1980
- Smith, S. P. History and traditions of the Maoris of the West Coast, North Island of New Zealand prior to 1840. Ngāmotu, 1910