ANOTHER MAORI CENTENARIAN PASSES

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6755, 7 November 1928, Page 11

ANOTHER MAORI CENTENARIAN PASSES

The death of one of the oldest members of tho Maori race, Mrs. Eihi (Elizabeth) Pohc, occurred on Friday at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. S. Pepcne, of Ngaruatunua, writes the Whangarei correspondent of the Auckland “Herald.” Born at, Waimahunga, once a Maori pa, and now the farm of Mr. W. Clolworthy, off tho Onerahi Road, Mrs. Pohe was a daughter of the late Mr. R. Richardson, one of the first to settle in the district, and a Scot by birth. Her mother was To o Tangiika, a daughter of the then wellknown Maori chief Turawbitu. The family eventually moved to Waikumete, Auckland, where they resided until the death of the mother. The children were then taken to Paihia, Bay of Islands, and were cared for and educated by a missionary. Soon after their arrival in tho Bay district, the Maori War broke out in the vicinity of their home, necessitating a hasty removal to Pakaraka. where they remained until peace was declared. Soon after deceased married William Pohe, who was one of the first Maori justices of the peace in Whangarei, and the couple settled at Waimahunga Pa, the place of Mrs. Pohe s birth. There she reared a family of ten sons and three daughters. Some vears later the Waimahunga Pa was sold, and the family resided in several localities in the district. The late Mrs. Pohe eventually lived among her relatlT Up to the time of her death Mrs. Pohe retained all her faculties. She exhibited much delight in discussing with her friends reminiscences of older times, and often recalled incidents connected with the Maori Wars. She is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Mary Solomon, of Whareora, and Mrs. S. Papone, of Ngaruatunua, and five sons, Messrs. J. Pohe, Kamo; G, Pohe, Parua Bay; Duncan Pohe, Kawakawa; H. Pohe, Tauranga; and William Pohe, Maungakahia. There are a large number of other -. descendants, including several great-grcat-grandchildren. A large tangi is being held at Ngaruatunua, and Maoris from all over theNorth are assembling.