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Kōrero: Raukawa, Te Mete

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Raukawa, Te Mete

1836/1837?–1926

Nō Ngāti Ranginui; he amorangi, he āteha, he kaitākaro

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Alister Matheson, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1993. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

Nō Ngāti Hangarau hapū o Ngāti Ranginui a Te Mete Raukawa. Kāore i te mōhiotia mehemea ko te tau 1836, ko 1837 kē rānei te tau i whānau ai ia, heoti, ko Peterehema (Bethlehem) ki Tauranga te wāhi. Ko ia te mātāmua o ngā tama a Simpson (Simson) Smith, he Kōtimana e hokohoko ana i waenga o Ākarana me Tauranga. He wahine rangatira tōna whaea a Raukawa Mātia nō Ngāti Hangarau.

Nā te mea he tuarā a ia nō te kaupapa o te Kīngitanga i uru ai ia ki ngā pakanga i Waikato, i Te Moana-a-Toi (Bay of Plenty), tae atu hoki ki te riri o Pukehinahina (Gate Pā) i Tauranga i te 29 o Āperira 1864. Nō muri i ngā whawhai ka whakaatu ōna tohu o te kaingārahu, o te tangata āhua pūkeke, o te tangata mōhio. I meatia e ia āna kōrero me ngā mahi i mahia e ia hei tauira whakahauhau i tōna iwi kia tū whirinaki kore, kia pare i te waipiro, ahakoa tana hokihoki atu kia maumahara rātou ki te raupatutanga o ō rātou whenua.

I hau tōna rongo pū kōrero nō te mea he māngai tiori. Hei ngā kōrero, ka tū ki te whaikōrero i te marae i Peterehema, ka rangona atu i Te Puna, kotahi māero te matara atu. Ko Te Mete te kaikōrero matua mō ngā Māori o Tauranga, arā, mō Ngāti Ranginui me Ngāi Te Rangi. I ētahi wā, tū ai ia hei kaiwhakaatu mō te taha ki a rātou i te Kōti Whenua Māori, ā, i tū hei kanohi mō rātou i ngā hui whakahirahira ina toro mai ana ngā kāwana, ngā ūpoko tōrangapū rānei. He tino kaha tā rāua whakapuakitanga ko Hōri Ngātai o Ngāi Te Rangi i ā rāua take i te toronga atu o Te Paranihi (John Ballance), te minita mō ngā take Māori, ki Tauranga i te tau 1885. Nō te tau 1884 a ia ka whakaātehatia.

I te pounga a te Kīngi Māori, a Tāwhiao, i tana pāremata, i te Kauhanganui, i Maungākawa – he wāhi e pātata ana ki Horotiu (Cambridge) – ka noho ko Te Mete tētahi o ngā mema. Ko 1894 te tau i whakatūria ai ia hei kaiwhakawā mā te Kīngi Māori. He tautīnei i ngā ture a te Kauhanganui, he whakapūmau i te rongomau me te whakatau raruraru ētahi o ngā mahi hei mahinga māna. Ko tōna kāinga i Peterehema te wāhi i nohoia e Mahuta, te whakakapi a Tāwhiao, i tana toronga tuatahitanga atu ki Te Moana-a-Toi i Hune o 1896. I hangaia he whare mō āna apataki, kotahi rau pea te nui.

Nō muri i te matenga o Mahuta i te tau 1912, ka nekehia te Kauhanganui ki te pā o Rukumoana, he kāinga kei kō paku mai i Mōrena (Morrinsville). Haere ai a Te Mete Raukawa rāua ko Potaua Tangitū, te kaingārahu o Te Pirirākau o Te Puna, ki ngā hui i reira mā runga hōiho. I tāwhaitia mai te paeroa o Kaimai mā ngā huarahi o tua whakarere, mā Wairere me Tuhi haere ake ai.

He kaha te mautohe a Te Mete ki te tāke kurī i utaina e ngā kaunihera ā-rohe i te tekau tau atu i 1890. Heoti, i tīmata a Tāwhiao ki te kohi tāke kurī māna anō, ā, nō te tau 1894 ka whakatūria a Te Mete e te Kauhanganui hei kairēhita mō ngā kurī Māori. Taro ake, i te whakamanatanga i ngā kaunihera Māori, nā te kāwanatanga o Aotearoa i whakatū ki te kohi i ngā tāke, ka whakakāhoretia e Te Mete me Ngāti Ranginui kia whaimana te Kaunihera Māori o te Takiwā o Mātaatua ki a rātou. Hei tā rātou, me taka kē rātou ki raro i te mana o te Kaunihera o Waikato. I whakaparahakotia tā rātou tono kia utua ā rātou tāke ki ngā kaunihera ā-rohe Pākehā. Tokorima ngā tāngata i mau ki te herehere i te tau 1905 mō tā rātou kore utu i te tāke.

I tae a Te Mete ki ngā hui huhua noa atu i tū ki tēnā, ki tēnā wāhi o Aotearoa, ā, i ētahi wā ka karangatia e ia he hui kia tū ki Peterehema. Ēngari, kore rawa ia i whakaae kia tū mō te Pāremata i te tonotanga atu ki a ia kia tū i te tau 1908. I te tau 1909 ko Te Mete tonu te tuatahi ki te haina i te pitihana a Tana Taingākawa e pā ana ki ngā takahitanga i te Tiriti o Waitangi.

I te tau 1900 ka whakatuwheratia e ngā Katorika Māori o Tauranga he whare karakia hou. I whakarērea te whare karakia tawhito a te mīhana i Ōtūmoetai. Ko te pere nā Pīhopa Pomaparie (J. B. F. Pompallier) i hoatu mō taua whare karakia, i haria atu ki tērā o Hāto Maria i Tauranga, i te tekau tau atu i 1870. He mea whakakāhore tētahi tono, nā Ātipīhopa Francis Redwood i tautoko, kia whakahokia te pere. Ka noho tonu te pere rā ki Tauranga. He take tēnei i kōrerorero whānuitia e ngā iwi puta noa i Aotearoa. He mea whakatau pēnei taua take, arā, i haere ohorere atu he marau i te maruawatea ki te tango mai i te pere i tōna wāhi whakairi i te whare karakia o Hāto Maria, kātahi ka haria atu ki te whare karakia hou i Te Puna, ā, oti atu ana ki reira. Ko te whakaaro ko Te Mete tonu tētahi o taua marau.

He tino kaitautāwhi a Te Mete i te kura o Paeroa, he kura e tū tata ana ki Peterehema. Nāna i miramira ngā painga o te whakaakoranga Pākehā e tuku rā kia ōrite te kaha o te Māori ki te tātāwhāinga ki tērā o te Pākehā. He kaha tana tautāwhi i ngā mahi hanga huarahi, hanga rerewē i Te Moana-a-Toi, he kitenga nōna tērā atu anō ngā painga ka taea atu i te Pākehā.

He tangata kaikā ki ngā mahi tākaro. I tereinatia e Te Mete te tini hōiho i Peterehema, ā, i momoho i ngā rērehi i Tauranga me ērā atu wāhi. He wā ia ki te takiwā o Rangitīkei e noho ana i ngā tau e potapotae ana i te tau 1900. I whakahoahoa ki a Dan Riddiford, te matua whakahaere o te hunga whakangau eke hōiho o Rangitīkei (Rangitīkei Hunt). Nā te kaha o tōna rongo i Tauranga, ka tonoa atu māna e whakawā te rēhi hōiho tuatahi i tū ki Ōtūmoetai i te tau 1893.

I hinga mai a Te Mete i Peterehema i te 13 o Ākuhata i te tau 1926, ka mahue iho ngā tamariki 10 te maha. I mate mai tana wahine a Whareangiangi i te tau 1914. Hei tamāhine ia mā Te Kereti, he amorangi nō Ngāi Te Rangi. Nā te tata o Te Mete ki ngā mahi a te Kīngi, ka whakaaetia te tohu o te Kīngi Māori – te tuatahi kia whaongia ki waho o Tainui – kia whakairia hei pare i runga ake i te kūaha o Hangarau, te tupuna whare i Peterehema, i te whakaoratanga i taua whare i te tekau tau mai i 1960.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Alister Matheson. 'Raukawa, Te Mete', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1993. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/2r5/raukawa-te-mete (accessed 29 March 2024)