Ruhe (? - 1865) was a

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 ...

chief of the

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...

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. ...

(tribe) in northern

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. He lived at

Kaikohe Kaikohe is the seat of the Far North District of New Zealand, situated on State Highway 12 about from Auckland, and about from Whangārei. It is the largest inland town and highest community above sea level in the Northland Region. With a pop ...

. At the first signing of the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

on 6 February 1840, Ruhe gave a concerted physical display and speech against the treaty. He would go on to sign the Treaty of Waitangi later that day. Next to his name was the statement in

"''Te Tohu o Ruhe te tamaiti o Kopiri''", meaning "The mark of Ruhe the son of Kōpiri". In 1841, Ruhe's son Maketū Wharetotara was accused of the murder of five people on

Motuarohia Island Motuarohia Island (Roberton Island) is a small island in the Bay of Islands of New Zealand, located about northeast of Russell. The island stretches for east-west, with the south coast offering two bays backed by sandy beaches. The north ...

. After being found guilty, Maketū Wharetotara became the first person executed under British law in New Zealand. It was said that Ruhe suffered severe grief after his son died. Ruhe committed suicide in 1865 by shooting himself.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruhe 1865 deaths Signatories of the Treaty of Waitangi Ngāpuhi people Suicides by firearm in New Zealand