I whānau a Riperata (Riparata) Kahutia i te tau 1838, 1839 rānei ki Makauri; ki te kore i reira, ki Taruheru i Tūranganui-a-Kiwa (Poverty Bay). Nō Te Whānau-a-Iwi ia, he karangatanga hapū nō Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki. Ko tōna whaea ko Ūaia (Ūwaia rānei) nō Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti. Ko tōna pāpā ko Kahutia; ko te tino rangatira tēnei o te rohe ki Tūranga (Gisborne). He tama ia nā Ruku, tētahi o ngā rangatira i puta ai ōna mana ki tāwāhi o te awa o Tūranganui tae noa atu ki te wāhi e mōhiotia nei ko Kaitī; i moe iho i te wahine o Ngāi Tāwhiri, he hapū nō Rongowhakaata. He tuakana anō tō Riperata ko Kateraina (ēngari he pāpā kē, he whaea kē rānei); ko te whakaaro, he mea iriiri ki te īngoa o Hārata.
Ka moe a Riperata i a Mīkaere, he tama nā Paratene Tūrangi, te tino rangatira o Rongowhakaata. E toru ā rāua tamariki; ko Rangi tētahi, i toromi i te tau 1869; ko Hēni Materoa tētahi, i moe i a Timi Kara (James Carroll) i muri nei; ko Mīkaera Pare Keiha te whakapākanga. Nō te tīmatanga o te tekau tau atu i 1850, he nui ngā whenua i tukua noatia, i hokona rānei e Kahutia ki ngā tāngata whai me te kāwanatanga. Atu i 1858, i noho ko ia tonu tētahi o ngā kaihautū o te kaupapa mō te whakahoki mai i ngā whenua, ā, ki te whakakore tonu i ngā hoko. Nō tōna matenga i te takiwā ki te 1860, ka taka iho ki a Riperata ōna mana e pā ana ki Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki.
Ka tae ki te takurua o 1865, ka tū te kaiākiri i waenga i Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki i te kaha kaikā o te nuinga o rātau ki te whakapono o te Pai Mārire (arā, te hāhi Hauhau). I te noho kē a Riperata i te pā o Ōtuki-aotea i Makauri, e tata ana ki Waerenga-a-Hika; ēngari, kua wehe mai ia i reira i mua o te pakanga o te Pai Mārire me ngā kūpapa a te kāwanatanga i reira i Noema 1865. Kua noho kē mai ki Waikanae, kāre i tawhiti atu i te pūaha o te awa o Tūranganui, ā, i tēnei wā mārehe e tare mai ana te haki o Peretānia i runga i tōna pā.
I tau iho ki a ia ngā mahi a tana pāpā, ka puta ngā rongo mōna i roto o Tūranganui-a-Kiwa mō tōna kaha ki te āki i āna kokoraho ki ētahi whenua rahi tonu o roto i ngā poraka maha tonu, mō te taha ki a ia ake, ki tōna whānau, ki tōna hapū me tōna iwi. Ko te mea e kipakipa ana i āna mahi ko tana hiahia ki te tiaki i ngā painga o tōna iwi, ki te pupuri anō hoki i ōna mana rangatira. I te hokonga o te poraka whenua o Tūranganui Nama 2 ki te kāwanatanga i te tau 1869, kia whiwhi whenua ai mō te tāone o Tūranga, ko Riperata tētahi o ngā tino ariki o aua whenua. I waihangatia e ia te rohe ki te taha tonga o te wāhi i hokona kia mutu i tua mai o te awa o Waikanae, kia noho wātea tonu ai ki te iwi te huarahi ki ngā kai. Nō te 1869, ka hui te kōti kāpeneheihana o te Kōmihana o Tūranganui-a-Kiwa ki te uiui ko wai ngā hunga nō rātau ngā whenua Māori i taua rohe. Ko ngā iwi i pakanga ki te Karauna kāre i whakaaengia kia whiwhi whenua. Kātahi ka hangaia e te kōmihana he rārangi īngoa o ngā hunga i whai pānga ki tēnā poraka, ki tēnā poraka. Ka mau ngā īngoa o Riperata rāua ko tōna tuakana i runga i te rārangi īngoa o ētahi poraka 12. Ko ētahi he mana tupuna nō roto mai i a Rongowhakaata nā reira i whiwhi ai, ko ētahi nō Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki.
Nō te huinga anō o te Kōmihana o Tūranganui-a-Kiwa i te tau 1873, i whakatakotoria e Riperata tana tono mō te whenua e karangatia ana ko Awapuni, i waenganui i te pito ki te hau puāwanga o Tūranga me te taimoana. He poto noa iho te rārangi īngoa i whakaatuhia e ia; heoi, i roto i ngā uiui taikaha, i mahue ki waho ngā takiaho e rua o te taha ki a Ngāi Tāwhiri, te hapū o tōna whaea. Nā te huhua o ngā kokoraho tautohetohe me ngā tāngata o te rohe o Tūranganui i uru mai ki roto koirā i kī ai te kaiwhakawā, anō nei e hōrapa katoa ana te take nei ki runga i ngā iwi katoa o Tūranganui-a-Kiwa. Ka hikitia te take nei, kāre i āta whakatauria; poto noa iho te wā i muri mai, ka whakakorehia te kōmihana. I muri iho i tērā take, ka tū a Riperata i te Kōti Whenua Māori ki te kokoraho i āna take ki te poraka o Kaitī. Ko tētahi o ngā tino kokoraho nui nā Hirini Te Kani, te kaihautū o Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti; ko tōna kaikōrero ko Rūtene Te Eke (he taina, he tuakana rānei nōna). I runga i te whanaungatanga o tana koroua o Ruku ki tētahi o ngā rangatira o mua, i riro mai i a Riperata he wāhanga hautoru o te whenua e takoto moana tonu ana, ā, kāre rā he kaikino o te tangata ahakoa pea he pai kē atu te take a Hirini.
Nō te tau 1875, i whakaorangia e Riperata tana kokoraho ki Awapuni; i whakaurungia atu e ia he kokoraho ki te whenua i waenganui i te awa o Waikanae me te pūaha o te awa o Tūranganui. Ahakoa pūtutu te whenua, e ora ana te awa i te kanae. I tutū anō te puehu i te taha rāwhiti, i Wai‑o-hīhārore, i waenganui i a Riperata rāua ko Rūtene Te Eke, nā runga i te whakaoranga a Rūtene i tētahi kokoraho o mua kia noho ai te mana o te pūaha o te awa ki a ia. Tohe atu ana a Riperata kua noho kē ko Te Whānau-a-Iwi te kaitiaki o ngā painga mō Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki katoa. E ai ki te kōrero, ko tana kauwhau ki te kōti, he mārama mārika, he hāngai tonu. Nuku atu i te kotahi hāora ia e tohe atu ana, mārō tonu tana whai i te take, tau ana te whakarārangi i āna kōrero, me te aha, i aro katoa ngā iwi ki te whakarongo atu ki a ia, tae atu ki ōna hoa tautohetohe. I whakataungia e te kōti, he kaiwhiwhi a ia me te tokomaha noa atu o ngā kaikokoraho ki te whenua. I hangaia he rāhui i Wai‑o-hīhārore. Tērā atu anō ngā take whenua i waimarie tana whakauru atu i ngā īngoa o tōna iwi o Rongowhakaata ki te taha o te tokomaha o Ngāti Maru.
He mahi tonu ā Riperata i te taha o Kāpene W. H. Tucker, te kaiāwhina i a ia ki te whakahaere i ōna whenua. Nō te wāwāhitanga o te poraka o Waikanae e tata ana ki Tūranga hei whenua here kore, ka riro i a Riperata he koata o taua whenua, arā, 55 eka. Ko tā Tucker he whakahaere i te wāwāhitanga o te whenua, me te hokonga o ngā tēkihana ki ngā tāngata whai. Heoi, i te wā e ora ana a Riperata, takitahi noa iho ngā poraka, he Māori ngā kaiwhiwhi tukutahi o roto, i oti pai te wāwāhi me te whakawhiwhi ki ngā taitara motuhake. Kua noho kē te tikanga, mā te rīhi rawa, e riro mai ai he hua i te whenua e takoto moana ana. He nui ngā whenua i rīhingia e Riperata: he mea rīhi tētahi whenua i Mātokitoki ki a Tucker rāua ko Timi Kara hei whāngai hipi; i rīhingia anō e ia he whenua i Makauri me ērā atu wāhi ki ngā tāngata whai. I riro mai anō he hua i te hokonga o te mana tua i ngā rākau i ngā whenua e takoto moana ana.
Nō te memehatanga o tana rapu whenua haere, ka nui atu te piri a Riperata ki ōna whanaunga o Rongowhakaata. Nō te hanganga o te wharenui o Te Mana‑o-Tūranga i Manutūkē, i tīmataria rā e Ngāti Maru i te tau 1880, i kitea ai te tohu o te oranga ake o te noho ā-iwi. Taka rawa ki te takiwā ki 1881, ka whakapiri atu a Riperata ki ōna whanaunga ki a Noa Whakaatere rāua ko Hape Kiniha ki te whakatū marae ki te pito hauāuru o ōna whenua i Awapuni. Ka hangaia te wharenui, Te Poho-o-Materoa, hei whakamaharatanga ki te tupuna wahine o te huhua noa atu o ngā whānau o Rongowhakaata. Nā Horonuku Te Heuheu o Ngāti Tūwharetoa te tāuhu; nā ngā tohunga o Ngāti Porou, ngā hunga whakairo i āwhina. Ko te tekoteko i runga i ngā maihi ko Kurīwahanui, he tupuna nō Te Whānau-a-Iwi; he uri whakaheke mai i a ia, i whai mana ai a Riperata ki te kokoraho i ngā whenua i Awapuni. Nō te tau 1884 i whakatuwheratia te wharenui. He whare karakia, he whare Pākehā āhua rahi tonu nei, ētahi o ngā whare o te marae.
He pāpāngia nōna e te matekohi, i tere mate ai ia i muri tonu iho i te whakatuwheratanga o te wharenui. E ai ki te kōrero, nō te 1886 ka mate tōna hoa rangatira a Mīkaera. Nō muri mai, nō te 10 Hune 1887, ka mate hoki a Riperata i te kāinga o tana tamāhine i Whataūpoko. Ko tōna kōrero, i eke ōna tau ki te 48. Te āhua nei, e noho ana ia i runga i ōna whenua anō i te taha rāwhiti o te awa o Taruheru. He mea tāpuke ia i te rāwhiti o taua whenua, kātahi ka hangaia he whare kōhatu ki runga i tana urupā. Nō te tau 1906, i hurahia ai he tohu whakamaharatanga mōna ki te urupā o Te Kurī-a-Tuatai i Waikanae, he koha nā tana tamāhine. Ēngari, ko te tohu whakamaharatanga nui atu mōna, ko te wawe ōna ki te tiaki me te whakakotahi i ngā whenua o tōna iwi; āpiti atu ko tōna kaha me tōna māia ki a ia anō.