LAST OF THE TE PUNIS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 15 August 1927, Page 7

LAST OF THE TE PUNIS.

DEATH, OF WELL-KNOWN PETO'XEi CHIEF.

J?EIP ItMSE.VI!ATi VEi OF FRIENDLY 'URIBE.

liotih -Maori and pakelia. are mourning the passing jvt I'etaiie of Houeana I’e Puni.. 11 1 <> last chief of his tribe. Porn tu the pa ait .Petone 64 years ago. I’e had- lived in the district ever since. The early pioneers will well remember the Te Puni tribe and the friendly manner in which they received tlie pakeh’as. There is no doubt that it was due to. the assistance received from the tribes' in Petone and Wellington. under the leadership of Te Wliare Pouri and later Honeana, Te Puni (grandfather of the deceased) that the young colony was. so- quickly and firmly established. The Te Puni tribe originally camel from the Taranaki district. They defeated the Waikato tribe there, anti being of an ■adventurous' nature they decided to seek further success in tlie south. So a migration was commenced to Petone. Ngati, Mutinga (chief of another tribe) had been conducting several raids against XgatikaiHingumi, who ruled over the Wellington district, and finally defeated him. Ngati Mutinga then left the 'district, and the Te Puni. tribe, under the leadership of Te Wha re Pouri, sett- up-their headquarters in Petone. They were not. allowed to live peacefully for long, because Ngat.ikaihunguiiu led a strong hand of warriors against them to regain li.i.s lands. The To Puni tribe won out and drove them up' north .past Wairoa. Te Wliare Pouri then made, peace with Ngatikahuiiigunu and allowed him to come back and settle in the Wairarapa. As he had ,suoces.sfully withstood the attacks of other tribes. Te Wliare Pouri claimed Wellington district as his conquest. At about this time the New Zealand Company first made its, appearance, and i-t was successful in gaining the .support. of Te Wliare Pouri and Ills warriors. The company punchased Wellington ifrcmii him (at -a price never disclosed, a,lid he gave it great assistance. When he died Hqnea.no Te Puni became chief, an<l be faithfully carried out the iiiistrucition of Te Wha.re Pouri to keep jieaee with, the i>akebn. He

married Jtoka, and we there have the commencement of the great Apiriaha. Taik ara ngi ilami Iy. Peace wa® hi.s imain objective, and lie performed his duty well, not only keeping the peace, font giving vatfuafo'le assistance to the early settle-re. During the troublous times. nip north foe was ne of the best friends the pakehas had. Tfoe leadership of the tribe wuns then ipaissed on to Henere Te Puni and Witafoo (first Maori member of Parliament), who abn followed the lead of their forefathers and made friends with the white man.

! Without the co-operation of these chiefs the 'lot cf the pioneer would have been made nvuch more difficult. Henere Te Puni had 15 children, a,nd Hone-ana Te • Puni eras, his eighth child. The only surviving member of the family is Mrs. Ishervood, of Petone. Now the .last son of this great family has passed aiway, and the whole column nity will mourn his loss. He was weft known both, in New Zealand and in England, as lie was one of those warriors selected to visit Queen Victoria during the Diamond Jubilee in 1897. l b him fell the honour of shaking hands with the Queen, and it could not have been more appropriate, a.s he was directly descended from those who first shook hands with the early settlers. Other members <jf the band were Colonel Pitt, Captain, Robin (now Sir Alfred Robin), Lieut. Pringle, Captain Ttimiii a Rangi (in. charge of the Maori Division), Sergt. W. L'ru, M.P. (a brother of the present M.P.), and Mr. Kuru Love, of Petone, who, was trumpeter to the papty. During this- trip Hbneana /met, one of the sons of Lord Watenly, who became, so attached to hail that lie later crime out ancl stayed six months with the Te Puni family. They used to call each other “Brother,” and the young Lord always, called Mis. Te Puni “Mother.’’ During the visit ol King George to New Zealand (as Duke of York), the aide-de-camp to the King noticed this white young man among his Maori friends, and, as his face seamed familiar, inquired a.s to his id,entity. He was greatly surprised to hear that lie was the son of Lord \\ atei'ly. The Savage Club had arranged a dinner for the visiting chiefs during their 'stay in England, and each wari for gave ia, speech. They were all extremely proud of the great chiefs from « bun they had sprung, and. told most eloquently of the wonderful voyages, in canoes that their forefathers had undertaken to make their home in New Zealand. When Honeania’s turn came he c-onumenced in a* ch anwheristiically humoi-ous .strain by saying that when Ids forefathers, decided to go to New Zealand they looked round for a canoe, hut they had all heen taken by the •other thief*; but lie was not going to he beaten, so lie looked up into the !-ky. and .seeing n>i rainbow he jumped up and sat on the top. He could not remain (here long, however., so he slid down one side and fancied in New Zealand.

llonea.na To Puni was a member of the old To Puni fontbafl team, which in later years has given place to the Pot-one Olub. He wiais sAso a member of the Old Pot-one Nlavals. it- i,s stated that he was the only full-blooded Maori in P-etone. the -race having 'become in--lermingled with the white race until I lie present generation of Te Pun is is hardily distinguishable from. Europeans. “Dominion.” »