Note: Marupō signed on two occasions, see the other at Waitangi on 6 February 1840
Marupō was a noted warrior from Kawakawa in the Bay of Islands. He signed He Whakaputanga, the Declaration of Independence, in 1835.
He was at Waitangi on 6 February 1840 and argued vigorously against the Treaty of Waitangi while it was being signed. However, he then signed the treaty, and six days later he did so again at Mangungu in Hokianga, which was now his home.
Marupō was said to be one of the young men under Hōne Heke Pōkai’s control. He may have been on a committee appointed by Te Whakaminenga (the United Tribes, who had signed He Whakaputanga).
In 1867 Marupō was on a Māori committee set up to organise a reception for the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Alfred, who was due to visit New Zealand. In 1868 he asked that the restrictions on gunpowder be lifted, particularly for ‘sporting’ (hunting) purposes, and suggested a system of regulations.