Mr Turau Te Tomo

Te Ao Hou, December 1965, Page 63

Mr Turau Te Tomo Mr Turau Te Tomo of Mokai, one of the leading rangatira of Ngati Tuwharetoa, died suddenly at Turangawaewae on 14 October. He was aged 70. Mr Te Tomo was a son of the late Mr Taite Te Tomo, a former Member of Parliament for Western Maori. His mother belonged to the Rongomaiwahine sub-tribe of Ngati Kahungunu, and was from the Mahia Peninsula. From the age of about 40 years, Mr Te Tomo took a keen interest in Maori culture, and he became known throughout the country as an authority on Maori tradition, especially Maori waiata. In recent years much of his knowledge was preserved in writing and on tape. He was an outstanding figure on the maraes, an orator of the highest standard. A member of the Ngati Tuwharetoa Trust Board, Mr Te Tomo was keenly interested in Maori land development and was one of the main sponsors of the very successful Tuaropaki scheme at Mokai, and the adjoining Waipapa scheme. He was a staunch supporter of the Maori King Movement. His wife Marata belongs to the Turner family of the King Country on her father's side, and on her mother's side to the Paerata family of Ngati Tuwharetoa. Mrs Te Tomo is herself an authority on Maori waiata. From Turangawaewae the cortege moved to Waihi Pa, Taupo, calling in on the way at Kauriki marae, before proceeding to Mokai and to the ancestral burial ground at Waiwharangi.