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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