Mutu Paratene Kapa (1870 – 10 November 1968) was a New Zealand tribal leader, orator, sportsman, and Anglican priest. Of

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 ...

descent, he identified with the

Te Aupōuri Te Aupōuri is the second northernmost Māori iwi (tribal group), located north of Kaitaia, Northland, New Zealand, a region known as the Te Hiku o te Ika. The iwi is one of the six Muriwhenua iwi of the far north of the North Island. The ...

and

Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

. He was born in Ohinepu,

, New Zealand, in 1870. In the

1964 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1964 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

, Kapa was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for services to the Māori people.

Biography

Kapa was born at Ōhinepū, Te Kōpua to parents Waimārama Pene Ruruanga and Paratene Kātene Kapa. Hi father worked as a farmer and had been one of the first Māori missionaries in the Tai Tokerau area. Kapa was very athletic in his youth and played numerous sports, including rowing, rugby, football, hockey, tennis and wood-chopping. He excelled in rowing and rugby, making it as an

All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

trialist in 1905. The history of the Anglican church in the area as well as encouragement from his family led to him to pursue the ministry. He was educated at Te Rau Theological College, Gisborne, and was ordained a deacon in 1907 and became a priest in 1911. Kapa died in November 1968. His

tangihanga , or more commonly, , is a traditional funeral rite practised by the Māori people of New Zealand. were traditionally held on , and are still strongly associated with the tribal grounds, but are now also held at homes and funeral parlours. Wh ...

was held at

Te Puea Memorial Marae Te Puea Memorial Marae is a marae located in Māngere Bridge (suburb), Māngere Bridge, Auckland, New Zealand. Opened in 1965, it was the first urban marae in Auckland, built for all Māori instead of a specific iwi, but in particular as a commu ...

, and he was buried at the St James Anglican Church in

Māngere Bridge Māngere Bridge may refer to: *Māngere Bridge (suburb), a suburb of Auckland *Māngere Bridge (bridges) Māngere Bridge, officially also called the Manukau Harbour Crossing, is a dual motorway bridge over the Manukau Harbour in south-weste ...

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

References

1870 births 1968 deaths New Zealand Māori sportspeople People from Waikato Te Aupōuri people Waikato Tainui people New Zealand Māori religious leaders New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century New Zealand Anglican priests {{NewZealand-sport-bio-stub