Hōne Waitere Te Aoturoa

In 1840 more than 500 chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document. Ngā Tohu, when complete, will contain a biographical sketch of each signatory.

Signing

Signature	Sheet	Signed as	Probable name	Tribe	Hapū	Signing Occasion
10	Sheet 2 — The Manukau-Kāwhia Sheet	Hone Waitere Te Aoturoa	Hōne Waitere Te Aoturoa	Waikato	Ngāti Te Wehi, Ngāto Paiaka	Kāwhia, 15 June 1840

Hōne Waitere Te Aoturoa signed the Manukau-Kāwhia sheet of the Treaty of Waitangi on 15 June 1840 at Kāwhia. He was a rangatira (chief) of Ngāti Te Wehi and Ngāti Paiaka of Aotea.

Community contributions below from Trevor Waitere provide more information.

If you have more information about this treaty signatory please add a community contribution below or contact us at [email protected].

Community contributions

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TREVOR WAITERE Posted: 22 May 2016

Te Wehi had many small pa sites located around Kawhia/Aotea but his most beautiful was at the peak tops of Matakowhai. Upon his death, his people, known as "Ngāti Te Wehi", moved South West of Aotea Harbour, some stayed at Makomako, Te Papatapu and Motakotako.

This brings us to Rangitaupopoki the son of Waenganui II who is the son of Paiaka & Rangihora, Rangihora being the daughter of the giant Ngaati Koura warloard Hotumauea & Paiaka being the son of the great Te Wehi & his princess wife Mariu, daughter of Hape & Te Angaangawaero who is the daughter of the great chief Wahiao of Te Arawa descendant of Tuhourangi-Ngaati Wahiao, Tuhourangi was 9 ft tall.

Rangitaupopoki married two Ngaati Maniapoto descendants named Waimahanga & Parehikitanga who were sisters. Parehikitanga & husband had three children, Te Urumahue a daughter, Tutemahurangi & Te Moke. Tutemahurangi begat two sons his first born son was Pita Waikato later known as Pita Mahu Waikato of Ngaati Te Wehi to Metiria Waikato a Daughter to Te Riria Whareherehere Taria Waikato the first commander of the united tribes of all confederated chiefs of Aotearoa and Te Aoturoa Hoone Waitere a son born to Marutehiakina II. Te Aoturoa Hoone Waitere was a Ngaati Te Wehi chief who signed the Manukau-Kawhia copy of the Treaty of Waitangi. This Manukau-Kawhia Maori-language copy of the Teaty of Waitangi, with 13 signatures, & is the only surviving copy with the signature of Colonial Secretary Willoughby Shortland. It was also the last copy to be returned, in 1841.

Shortland sent it to Captain William Symonds on 13 March 1840 to gather signatures from chiefs around and to the south of the Manukau Harbour. Symonds was working in the area on behalf of a proposed Scottish land company settlement. He and James Hamlin of the Church Missionary Society assembled several chiefs, probably at Awhitu, but failed to get their agreement. Many Waikato chiefs, including Te Wherowhero, attended a second meeting on 20 March. Three Ngati Whatua chiefs signed then (Kawau, Tinana and Reweti) but none of the Waikato chiefs. Wesleyan missionaries James Wallis and John Whiteley(Hone Waitere to Kawhia Maori)gathered 10 more signatures at Kawhia between April and September 1840. Each name has the prefix 'Ko', which is not part of the name and has 'his mark' following the moko or mark. Signed Treaty on 15 June 1840, witnessed by John Whiteley.

Born approx 1799 Te Aoturoa Hoone Waitere was also signatury to land sold for the Wesleyan mission at Kopua & Sold 10,000aces with other chiefs to the crown on 2/12/1857 called Te Wharauroa Block. $800 was paid by John Rogan on behalf of Queen Victoria over 4years. Because of these relationship formed Many areas of land at Aotea harbour today is still owned & looked after(kaitiaki)by Ngaati Te Wehi descendants. Other land lost in the Waikato wars is still to be addressed with the crown.
Therefore, Ngaati Te Wehi supports The King movement Te Kingitanga, as one of Ngaati Te Wehi Marae 'Okapu Marae Te Kotahitanga ō Ngaati Te Wehi' are part of the 29 Marae who hold an Annual General Poukai, 14 March of every year. The first Poukai was held at Raoraokauere then in the early 1800s by Motakotako Marae Te Ohaaki ō Mahuta which was given to Makomako Te Tihi ō Moerangi but at that time Makomako, Te Tihi ō Moerangi was called Kaokao in 1896 and finally placed the Poukai with Okapu Marae in 1897 making the Poukai at Okapu Marae 116 years old.

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Claudia Orange Posted: 24 May 2016

Thanks to you Trevor for confirming the spelling of Te Aoturoa and the hapu Ngati Te Wehi. I have also found that another hapu he seems to have sometimes been affiliated to was Ngati Hikairo. Is that correct?
I also note that you use the double vowel and not the macron. This is not usually the case with NZ history.net.
Happy to have further comment and information.

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TREVOR WAITERE Posted: 29 May 2016

Hi Claudia,
thank you for you reply but the point I am making is that my tupuna although having Maniapoto descent, Te Aotūroa a.k.a Hōne Waitere is not the same Hone or Honi Waitere a NgātI Maniapoto Rangatira. Both ref are incorrect.

Born and died in Aotea Harbor Te Aotūroa(a.k.a Hōne Waitere) on 15th June 1840 was a Treaty Signatory, he was also signatory to 35 acres of land sold at £4 for the Wesleyan mission at Kopua on 5th May 1840 & Sold 10,000 aces with other chiefs to the crown on 2nd Dec 1857 called Te Wharauroa Block, £410 was paid by John Rogan on behalf of Queen Victoria over 4 years.

There were now 3 Wesleyan Missions, one at Lemon Point(Te Waitere)Kawhia 1834, Raglan 1839 and now Te Kopua 1840 but not one with the Ngāti Te Wehi at Aotea Harbor.

So at around the time of signing the Treaty Kawhia Hōne Waitere Te Aotūroa Rangatira of Ngāti Te Wehi, Hapu Ngāti Paiaka of Aotea Harbor lovingly persuaded Rev. John Bumby the Superintendent of the Wesleyan Church to set up a Misson in his Harbor, the site Raoraokauere was chosen, money raised & the non-maori speaking Rev Hansen.H.Turton was appointed.
Te Aotūroa took the name Hone Waitere in honor of John Whitely(or Hone Waitere to Kawhia Maori) as they were friends but also around New Zealand other Wesleyan Maori were naming themselves or thier sons after John Whiteley (Hone Waitere)

There will be connections with Ngāti Apakura from Aotea as Hikairo II is from this Iwi, however Te Aotūroa's son Ngatokorua Hone Waitere did marry Hingaia from Ngāti Horokatere/Hikairo.

Te Aotūroa Hōne Waitere married Pirihira and raised their daughter Meri and 2 sons Te Moke II and Ngatokorua Hone Waitere(b.1842) at Aotea Harbor,
Ngatokorua Hone Waitere & Wife Hingaia left Aotea Harbor during the 1863/64 Land Grab Wars therefore not fighting and retaining thier mana whenua on return. Large tracts of confiscated land owned by other Ngāti Te Wehi descendants are still to be addressed with the crown as the Great Te Wehi coveted more land with the killing of Toa-angina and added it to his huge holding.

Ngatokorua Hone Waitere is shown in a picture below taken Feb 1934 at 92 years old with his son Wiri Toko Waitere & grandsons (waka carver)TuTemahurangi(Ned) & Hone Joe Waitere my grandfaher.
Ngāti Te Wehi today are still supportive and connected to the Kingitanga.

http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22670899?search%5Bi%5D%5B-category%5D=Gro…

http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-TurOldP-t1-g1-g1-g11-g2-t1…

http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Tur01Nort-t1-g1-g1-g1-g14-…

http://www.aoteaharbour.co.nz/wesleyan_mission_2.html

https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=nZyVM64c9z0C&pg=PA294&lpg=PA294&dq=…

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Claudia Orange Posted: 31 May 2016

Dear Trevor
Many thanks for this very helpful comment and clarification. We will use it for correcting and updating the record which Jamie will do in due course.
If you can assist with other chiefs I'd be grateful but understand well that the information is always so special to those to whose whanau it belongs etc.
All good wishes
[email protected]

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