Te Rata Mahuta (1884 – 1 October 1933) was the fourth

Māori King Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

, reigning from 1912 to 1933.

Biography

Te Rata was the eldest son of the third king,

Mahuta Mahuta is one of 11 islands in the Rakahanga atoll of the Cook Islands. It is on the east of the atoll, between the islets of Huananui and Okakara Okakara is one of 11 islands in the Rakahanga atoll of the Cook Islands. It is on the east of th ...

, and Te Marae, daughter of the fighting chief Amukete Te Kerei who was killed in battle at

Rangiriri Rangiriri is a rural community in the Waikato District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Waikato River near Lake Waikare in the Waikato District. State Highway 1 now bypasses Rangiriri. Rangiriri was the s ...

in November 1863. Te Rata was born sometime between 1877 and 1880. He had four younger brothers: Taipu (who died in March 1926), Tumate,

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

and Te Rauangaanga. He married Te Uranga, daughter of Iriwhata Wharemaki and

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of Ngāti Korokī. Te Rata was invested with the kingship on 24 November 1912, about two weeks after his father's death. As was the custom for a new Māori King, he assumed the title name of

Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (died 25 June 1860) was a Māori warrior, leader of the Waikato iwi (confederation of tribes), the first Māori King and founder of the Te Wherowhero royal dynasty. He was first known just as ''Te Wherowhero'' and took t ...

, beginning a kingship dogged by ill health and controversy. Te Rata Mahuta had at least five children; * Korokī Te Rata Mahuta Tāwhiao Potatau Te Wherowhero (m) (with Te Uranga), * Taipu Mahuta (m) (with Te Uranga), * Makareta Hoete Harris (Maihi-Parata) (f) (with Te Uranga), * Hori (George) Te Rata (m) (with Maata Paora) *

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(f) (with Maata Paora) Korokī became Te Rata's successor upon his death. Of his other sons, Taipu had died in 1924, and Hori was not recognised at the insistence of Te Puea Herangi, Te Rata's influential cousin. As a child, Te Rata had been a chronic invalid and had suffered several illnesses including rheumatoid

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In some ...

and

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, ...

. The former greatly affected his ability to carry out his role as King. This was particularly apparent during an expedition to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

in 1914. This expedition had been undertaken with the aim of presenting British officials with a petition concerning breaches of the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in the treatment of the M ...

; namely, that

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

land had been unjustly confiscated following the

New Zealand wars The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the ...

. However, during his voyage to England, Te Rata ended up suffering repeated attacks of

rheumatics Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including ar ...

. For example, during a stop-over in

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, he was unable to accept an invitation from the nation's aging Queen

Liliʻuokalani Liliʻuokalani (; Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha; September 2, 1838 – November 11, 1917) was the only queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling from January 29, 1891, until the overthrow of the Haw ...

, the last ruler of her people prior to annexation. Furthermore, these attacks continued following his arrival in England on 21 May 1914. Indeed, Te Rata was so unwell that he ended up turning down a meeting with important British officials, although he eventually was able to meet with

King George King George may refer to: People Monarchs ;Bohemia *George of Bohemia (1420-1471, r. 1458-1471), king of Bohemia ;Duala people of Cameroon *George (Duala king) (late 18th century), king of the Duala people ;Georgia * George I of Georgia (998 or ...

and Queen Mary. He died at Waahi on 1 October 1933. The

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

leader

Harry Holland Henry Edmund Holland (10 June 1868 – 8 October 1933) was an Australian-born newspaper owner, politician and unionist who relocated to New Zealand. He was the second leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. Early life Holland was born at ...

died unexpectedly of a heart attack at his funeral.

References

External links

The King, seated, at right side
{{DEFAULTSORT:Te Rata Māori monarchs 1884 births 1933 deaths Ngāti Mahuta people People from Huntly, New Zealand