Te Whiti Biography

Te Whiti Biography

Te Whiti- o- Rongomai was born at Ngamotu, Taranaki during the Musket Wars. Te Whiti was a son of a Minor Cheif of the Patukai Hapu of the Ngati Tawhirikura Branch. As a child Te Whiti attended Reimenschneder School.This school was a Missionary school.Te Whiti was belived to be a spirtual teacher and was amazing at bible studies from an early age. When Te Whiti left school he set up his own flour mill at Warea.

By 1870 Parihaka had become the biggest village in the country. Te Whiti and Tohu ( Te Whiti’s protesting partner ) were leaders of the Parihaka Government. They protested in peace because the beileved in non-vilolence. They were protesting so that they could keep what was rightfully theirs. In 1881 the Europeans invaded Parihaka they took away land and punished the Moari people for nothing and  treated the men in a digusting way  and raped the women. The people of Parihaka defended their land peacefully, but the men of Parihaka were imprisoned  in the South Island, this included Te Whiti. Te Whiti learnt the ways of new European technology also Te Whtiti  was  thought to be the first person to use a telephone in the South Island Railway station.

When Te Whiti was released from prison in 1883, he was not allowed to return to his land or be there to say his last goodbye to his wife who died while he was in prison. He still continued to protest in peace, but got imprisoned for this again in 1886. While Te Whiti was in prison the people of Parihaka continued to take out the Euorpean’s survey pegs and plough on the land.

Te Whiti died 11 years after this on the 18th November 1907. Also the people of Parihaka got given a white Albatross symbol to keep Parihaka safe and  sound.

I think that Te Whiti was a inspirational leader because he beileved in non-vilolence and stood up for the people of Parihaka.

By Kobe Luke