Major Ropata Wahawaha | |
|---|---|
 Wahawaha, as pictured in The Story of a Maori Chief | |
| Birth name | Rāpata Wahawaha (childhood) |
| Born | c. 1820 Te Puia Springs or Akuaku, Waiapu, Colony of New South Wales |
| Died | (aged c. 76–77) Gisborne, New Zealand |
| Buried | Rock fortress of Puputa in the Waiomatatini Valley |
| Allegiance | |
| Years of service | 1865–1871 |
| Rank | Major |
| Battles / wars | New Zealand Wars |
| Awards | New Zealand War Medal |
| Relations | Āpirana Ngata (great-nephew) |
| Other work |
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Ropata Wahawaha NZC (c. 1820 – 1 July 1897) was a Māori military leader and rangatira (chief) of the Ngāti Porou iwi (tribe) who rose to prominence during New Zealand's East Cape War and Te Kooti's War.
Born in 1820 in the Waiapu Valley on the East Cape, he was enslaved as a boy and became known as Rāpata Wahawaha. He later obtained his freedom and as an adult, became known as Ropata. In 1865, he fought against the Pai Mārire religious movement when it expanded into the East Cape area. During the conflict, he became rangatira of Te Aowera, a hapū (subtribe) of Ngāti Porou. As a Kūpapa, a Māori allied to the New Zealand Government, he fought alongside the Volunteer Force, New Zealand's militia, and led war parties against the Pai Mārire and their presence in the East Cape region was largely eliminated by mid-1866.
From 1868 to 1871, he commanded Ngāti Porou war parties in the pursuit of Te Kooti, a rebel Māori leader whose religious movement, Ringatū, threatened the security of the East Cape region. During the conflict he played a key role in the capture of Te Kooti's pā (hill fort) at Ngatapa, for which he was awarded the New Zealand Cross and was made a major in the Volunteer Force. His pursuit of Te Kooti was motivated by a desire to ensure that Ngāti Porou land was not subject to seizure by the Government. In his later years, he commanded the militia in the Ngāti Porou district, was a land agent and a member of the Legislative Council.