Potatau Te Wherowhero
| Pōtatau Te Wherowhero | |
|---|---|
| Māori King | |
|
|
| Reign | June 1858 – 25 June 1860 |
| Coronation | 1858 |
| Successor | Tāwhiao |
| Born | c. 1770–1800 |
| Died | 25 June 1860 Ngaruawahia, Auckland Province, New Zealand |
| Burial | Mount Taupiri |
| Spouse |
Whakaawi Raharaha Waiata Ngawaero |
| Issue | Tāwhiao |
| Father | Te Rauangaanga |
| Mother | Parengaope |
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (died 25 June 1860) was a Māori warrior, leader of the Waikato iwi (tribes), the first Māori King and founder of the Te Wherowhero royal dynasty. He was first known just as Te Wherowhero and took the name Pōtatau after he became king in 1858. As disputes over land grew more severe Te Wherowhero found himself increasingly at odds with the Government and its policies.
Te Wherowhero was the eldest son of Te Rau-angaanga, who belonged to the senior chiefly line of Ngāti Mahuta and was a prominent war leader before and during the 1807–1845 Musket wars. When Te Wherowhero was born near the end of the 18th century his father had just become the principal war chief of the Waikato tribes. Te Rau-angaanga defeated a much larger coastal Tainui and Taranaki force of about 7000 warriors led by Ngāti Toa chief Pikauterangi in the battle of Hingakaka near Ohaupo. Te Wherowhero's mother, Te Parengaope, was a daughter of a chief of Ngāti Koura, a hapū (subtribe) of Waikato. Te Wherowhero was thus descended from the captains of both the Tainui and Te Arawa waka (canoes), which are said to have brought the Māori to New Zealand.
Te Wherowhero grew up in a period of relative peace for the Waikato tribes, following his father's victory over Ngāti Toa in the battle of Hingakaka. He was taught traditional lore, first by his father and then at Te Papa-o-Rotu, the Waikato whare wananga (school of knowledge) at Whatawhata. He lived at Kaitotehe pā on the western bank of the Waikato River, at the base of the Hākarimata Range and opposite Taupiri on the other bank. He had four wives, Whakaawi, Raharaha, Waiata and Ngawaero. His children included Matutaera Tāwhiao, Te Paea Tiaho, Makareta Te Otaota, Tiria and Irihapiti (these last three may be the same person).
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