Mr Teahauru Kapua

Te Ao Hou, December 1963, Page 64

Mr Teahauru Kapua The death occurred in Taupo recently of one of the oldest and most respected leaders of the Ngati-Tuwharetoa people, Mr Teahauru Kapua. He was 86 years old. Mr Kapua, who spent most of his life in the Taupo district, was an elder of the Tuwharetoa and of the Ratana Church. With perhaps only one exception, he was the last surviving link with the very beginning of the Pakeha settlement in the district, and, indirectly, with the Te Kooti rebellion. He was probably the one surviving member of Tuwharetoa who remembered seeing Te Kooti's arrival in the district. An authority on Maori culture and arts, Mr Kapua played a leading part in the district, keeping alive the traditions and customs of his people. He was one of their most respected orators and had a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of Maori law. He spent most of his early life in the Tokaanu-Turangi district and it was only in later life that he moved to Mokai. His associations with the district as a whole, however, were extensive.