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Monday, 1 November 2021

Tamaiti Waka Nene Minibiography

 Early Life:

Nene was born probably in the 1780s. He was the second son of

Tapua, leader and tohunga of Ngāti Hao of Hokianga, and the younger brother of

Patuone, the inheritor of their father's mana. By descent and marriage this family was

connected to many of the major chiefs of Hokianga, Whangaroa, the Bay of Islands

and other places. Through his mother, Te Kawehau, he was related to Hongi Hika, and

also to the brothers Rewa (Manu), Moka and Te Wharerahi. His sister Tari married

Te Wharerahi. Nene could trace his descent from Rāhiri, ancestor of Ngāpuhi, through a

number of lines.

His Career:

In early manhood Nene began to distinguish himself as a war leader. He may have

fought his first battle around 1800, helping Te Hōtete, the father of Hongi Hika, avenge

the sack of his pā Ōkuratope, at Waimate North, by Ngare Raumati, the people of

Te Rāwhiti in the Bay of Islands. Thereafter Nene would have taken part in a series of

battles involving Te Roroa, Ngāpuhi and his own people. These conflicts left a

number of unresolved issues; some Māori believed that they led Nene to oppose

Hōne Heke in the northern war of the 1840s.


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