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.
| Signature | Sheet | Signed as | Probable name | Tribe | Hapū | Signing Occasion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | Sheet 8 — The Cook Strait (Henry Williams) Sheet | Matia | Te Mātenga Te Mātia | Ngāti Raukawa | Ngāti Pare | Ōtaki?, 19 May 1840 |
Te Mātia signed Te Tiriti at Ōtaki on 19 May 1840. He was regarded as being second in rank only to Te Whatanui within Ngāti Pare. He married Paranihia Te Whāwhā, a daughter of Te Ruru, and they had three daughters.
He was baptised Te Mātenga (Marsden). He lived at Ōtaki. The bishop Octavius Hadfield found him a cantankerous objector to the introduction of Christianity, but their feud ended when Te Mātia converted to the new religion.
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