Tuarāwhati signed the Bay of Plenty (Fedarb) Treaty of Waitangi sheet at Whakatāne on 16 June 1840. He was a Ngāti Pūkeko rangatira (chief).
In 1824, Tuarāwhati was cursed by a woman of Ngāti Ahi. He responded by attacking and defeating Ngāti Ahi at Te Ruaroa. Not many people were killed as the curse had not been very serious. Afterwards, Tuarāwhati approached the Ngāti Ahi pā (fortified village) and asked its inhabitants to take their revenge on the Ngāti Pūkeko people who lived at Waiōhau. Ngāti Ahi were intercepted by Te Whakatōhea on their way to Waiōhau. The battle fought between these two groups did not involve Ngāti Pūkeko.