Victoria Tatana

Te Ao Hou, December 1967, Page 3

Victoria Tatana The eldest daughter of the late Rangiriri and Martin Winiata of Levin, Mrs Victoria Tatana passed away on October 30, aged 64. She descended paternally along the Whatanui line from Erenora to Winiata of the Ngati Raukawa Tribe, and maternally from Mareti, chieftainess of the Tuwharetoa Tribe. Educated at Levin, she learned the piano and was well known as an accompanying and dance pianist. As a vocalist, she toured Australia with a Maori Concert party. A faithful follower of the Church of England, she served consistently, and once was the only woman attending a synod. Mrs Tatana's many interests included Maori culture, repertory work, Maori Women's Welfare League and Country Women's Institute. She was one of the founders of the Maori Battalion War Memorial Trust in Palmerston North, while in later years she became a keen bowler. Together with her husband, David Tatana of Levin, engineer and ex-Maori All Black, whom she married in 1926, she settled in Taupo in 1951. They created Taupo's first motel (Tumanako) and finally settled on Poihipi Road. During her years in Taupo, Mrs Tatana set an example for her people by conducting her affairs in the Maori land courts with confidence and determination; understanding the laws governing Maori lands and their complications was second nature to her. She had the reputation for being an astute business woman. Mrs Tatana is survived by her husband, two sons, two daughters and five grandchildren.