Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Cooper, William Turakiuta
1885/1886?–1949
Nō Ngāti Kahungunu, nō Ngāti Rākaipaaka; he kaiwhakamārama reo, he āpiha whakahaere whenua
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Steven Oliver, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1998. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
I whānau a Wiremu Turakiuta Kupa (William Cooper) – ko tētahi anō o ōna īngoa ko Wiremu Te Apatū Cooper – i te tau 1885, 1886 rānei, ki Muriwai i te takiwā ki Tūranganui-a-Kiwa (Poverty Bay); ko ia tētahi o ngā māhanga tama tāne a Robert Cooper rāua ko Mere Mōrera (ko Christie rānei). He taha Pākehā tahi nō rāua, ā, he uri tahi hoki nō Ngāti Kahungunu. Hei tamāhine tōna whaea mā Rāwinia Te Apatū, ā, hei mokopuna hoki ki a Te Apatū-o-te-rangi, tētahi o ngā tino rangatira o Ngāti Rākaipaaka, he karangatanga hapū nō Ngāti Kahungunu. Tērā atu anō hoki ōna toronga atu ki a Te Huki rāua ko Tapuwae, he tīpuna rongonui nō Ngāti Kahungunu mai.
I te tau 1908 ka whiwhi a Wiremu Kupa i tana raihana whakamāori o te tohu hiringa, ka tīmata tana mahi i Nūhaka. Tērā pea he wā ia e pāmu ana, e mahi kānataraki kē ana rānei. I te tau 1912 ka whānau tana tama, a Matiu Te Auripo Te Hau; ko tōna whaea ko Kōparepare Matiu. Nō te 24 o Hūrae i te tau 1918 i moea e Wiremu a Margaret (Maggie) Te Uira Paewai i Tūranga (Gisborne). I tēnei wā i Tūranga kē ia e noho ana, he kaihautū nei ia nō te Rōpū Toko i te Ora o Kahungunu (Kahungunu Welfare Association). I Oketopa o te tau 1925, ka tuhituhi atu a Apirana Ngata ki a Te Kōti (Gordon Coates), te Pirimia, ki te whakamārama atu kua roa kē a Kupa e mahi ana mā te kamupene o Nolan rāua ko Skeet, he rōpū rōia nei nō Tūranga. I reira ka kitea tōna matatau ki ngā ture whenua Māori me āna whakahaere, me tōna tino mōhio hoki ki ngā kōrero tuku iho a te iwi Māori me ā rātau tikanga. Nō te tau 1927, ka noho a Wiremu hei hoa mahi Māori mō te kōmihana roera nā Tā Wiremu Hīmi (William Sim) i whakahaere, he tirotiro nei i ngā whenua raupatu Māori te mahi. Nō taua tau anō, ka uru ia ki te pakirehua e tiro ana i ngā whenua o Ngāti Rākaipaaka, i riro i te hoko i te tau 1865.
Nō te urunga o Ngata hei Minita Māori i muri mai i te pōti o te tau 1928, ka whakaaria e ia he kaupapa ahu whenua Māori. Ka whakatūria a Kupa hei kaiwhakahaere mō ngā mahi whakatōpū i ngā whenua o Te Tai Tokerau; ko ia anō hoki tētahi o te hunga, tāne, wāhine rānei, i manakohia e Ngata hei hari i te mahi nei, ā, hei whakaara ake anō hoki i ngā tikanga Māori. E rua ngā hui ko Kupa te waha kōrero mō Ngāpuhi, kotahi i Waiomatatini i te tau 1930, kotahi i Te Whakarewarewa i Rotorua i te tau 1932, he hui ahu whenua rā ērā.
Ehara kau i te mea, ko te mahi anake a ngā āpiha whakatōpū whenua, he whakatōpū hea hei poraka e puta ai he oranga, ēngari he whakarite hoki tā rātau i ngā rūri, he waere i ngā ngahere me ngā wāhi ururua, tae atu ki te mahi taiepa, mahi rori hoki. Whakahē ana a Kupa i te hunga Māori nā te pōhara i hokona ai ō rātau whenua. I whakaae hoki ia ki tā Tiati Ātihana (Frank Acheson), ko te hē o ngā tiati o te Kōti Whenua Māori o Te Tai Tokerau o mua nā, he whakaae nā rātau ki te nui o ngā whenua tāmata i riro i te hoko, ā, ko te mutunga iho, pōhara noa ana te hunga hoko. Nō te tau 1933 ka puta ngā kōrero a Kupa ki te komiti mō ngā reiti i ngā whenua Māori (Committee on Rating of Native Land), e mea nei ia, kei runga kē i te kaha o te hua o te whenua kātahi ka tika ai te whakatau i ngā reiti. Tērā atu hoki ngā uauatanga i whakahuatia e ia mō te utu reiti i ngā whenua he huhua te hunga nō rātau te whenua, ā, me ka kore ngā reiti e utua me riro kē ērā whenua i raro i te whakahaere ahu whenua Māori. I tana taenga atu ki te aroaro o te komiti, he āpiha Māori toko i te ora te āhua o te whakaatu i a ia.
I te hui ahu whenua ki Rotorua i te tau 1932 i tūtaki a Wiremu Kupa ki a Hōhepine (Whina) Gilbert, ko Te Wake tōna īngoa takakau. I Te Hokianga, ka noho ko Whina hei kaitohutohu i a ia waihoki tā Whina hoki he mihi kau mō te mōhio o Wiremu Kupa ki ngā mahi pāmu, me ngā momo whakahaere o ngā tari kāwanatanga, tae atu hoki ki ngā ture. Muri iho, ka tīmata te whai haere a Whina i a Wiremu i ana haere tirotiro i ngā mahi ahu whenua o Te Tai Tokerau. I mate te tāne a Whina, a Richard Gilbert, i Maehe o te tau 1935, ā, nō muri i tono ai a Wiremu rāua ko Whina ki a Maggie Cooper, te wahine a Wiremu, me ka pai ki a ia kia wehe rāua; whakaae tonu atu a Maggie. Kāore tonu rāua i whai tamariki ēngari i nāianei kua hapū kē a Whina i a Wiremu.
Kāore i mahue te whakahē a te iwi o te wā kāinga o Whina i Panguru, ka mārena nei ia i a Wiremu; he pou nei hoki a Whina nō te Hāhi Katorika, he kaihautū rongonui hoki nō te iwi, ā, kua moe wahine kē a Wiremu. Nā ngā pāmamaetanga ka whakarērea e rāua a Panguru, noho kē mai ana i te takiwā o Whāngārei. I mahi haere tonu a Wiremu mā te Tari Māori, whāia nō muri ka noho rāua i Ōtīria. I whai tamariki rāua, tokorua ngā tama, tokorua ngā tamāhine. Pērā anō i mua rā mau tonu te peka atu a Tiati Ātihana rāua ko Apirana Ngata ki te kite i a rāua, ā, ko rāua ngātahi hoki i hāpai i ngā mahi pōti i te rohe o Tau Hēnare. Ngangahau anō hoki rāua i roto i ngā mahi a te Komiti Whutupaoro mō Te Tai Tokerau (Tokerau District Rugby Football Committee), me tā rāua haere anō hoki ki ngā mahi whakaomaoma hōiho i ngā mutunga wiki.
Nō te tau 1941 i tokorau ai te mārena o Wiremu rāua ko Maggie Kupa, ā, he mea kite hoki e te Hāhi Katorika he take hei whakakore i tō rāua mārena. He Mihingare a Wiremu i mua, kātahi ka huri ki te Hāhi Katorika; nō te 21 o Pēpuere o te tau 1941, ka moea e Wiremu a Whina i te whare nui i Ōtīria. Kātahi rāua ka noho i Te Karaka, i te wāhi i whānau ai a Whina, he haere atu, he hoki mai te mahi a Wiremu i tana tari i Whāngārei. Nō te tau 1942, ka hoki rāua ki Panguru noho ai. Ka haere tonu a Wiremu ki tana mahi i Whāngārei, ā, nō tētahi wā, e karawhiu ana te āwhā ka kino te whara o Wiremu, i te rerenga atu o tana waka i te rori. I tua atu o āna mahi ake, ko ia tonu i te whakahaere i ngā pāmu a Whina; nō ngā tau whakamutumutu o te tekau tau atu i 1940, i hokona mai e rāua a Tautoro, he pāmu 124 eka te nui, mai i tētahi Pākehā nōna te whenua. Kātahi ka haere mai te māhanga o Wiremu, a Eru rātau ko tana whānau ki runga ki te pāmu, i Tautehere i Panguru noho ai, nā Whina i hoko mai i te tau tekau atu i 1920.
Nō rāua ka kakari ki te tono kia whakatūria he kura tuarua mō tō rātau rohe, ka tukua e Whina he whenua raorao hei whakatū kura i Panguru, e ono eka te rahi. He kore nō rātau i kaha ki te whakawhere i te kāwanatanga kia homai kia nui atu i te whare itiiti noa iho te rahi o te kura, whakataua ana kia hīkina mai te kura Katorika tuatahi o te haukāinga ki reira. Mate ohorere ana a Wiremu Kupa i Panguru i te 4 o Ākuhata i te tau 1949, i te wā e hikitia mai ana te kura. Hoki ana te mahara o Whina, nō taua ahiahi tonu, a Wiremu i tahuri ki te whakarite i ana pukapuka Māori, pukapuka kōrero tuku iho hoki i ngā whata, hei tirotiro mā tana mātāmua rāua ko Whina.
He pūhihi noa te hanga tinana o Wiremu Kupa, ā, ko tētahi o ngā kanohi e rewha ana. He tangata ia i whakaaro nuitia mō āna mahi kaupapa ahu whenua Māori. He mema anō hoki ia nō te kaunihera ā-rohe o Te Hokianga (Hokianga County Council) i te wā i mate ai ia. He nui ngā iwi i tae atu ki tana tangihanga, nō ngā waka katoa; nō muri mai, nō te huranga o te kōhatu whakamaharatanga ki a ia i te urupā o Nāhareta, ka tae atu a Kīngi Korokī.