Ropata Wahawaha

Te Ao Hou, September 1965, Page 36

Ropata Wahawaha Major Ropata Wahawaha, the warrior chief of Ngati Porou on the East Coast, was a fearless, often ruthless soldier who fought on the Government's side against Te Kooti. In his boyhood he was taken prisoner in a raid by the Rongo Whakaata tribe of Poverty Bay. Later he took a grim revenge on his enemies. From 1864 until 1871 he pursued Te Kooti, spending much of this time in the wild forests of the Ureweras, where he and his men withstood terrible hardships. Innumerable stories were told of his fierceness and bravery in battle, his cleverness as a strategist and his great powers of leadership. Yet despite his single-mindedness as a fighter, throughout the Urewera campaign he bombarded the Government with letters imploring. and indeed demanding, generous treatment for his enemies, the defeated Tuhoe. After the war Major Ropata Wahawaha became a member of the Legislative Council, highly respected by the Pakeha and venerated by his own people.