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Kurae Puakawe, also known as Puakawa, died 10 February 1840

Below is an online version, from Nga Tupuna o Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Volume 1 (2001), of the biography for Kurae Puakawe, reproduced with the kind permission of his whānau.

Cover of Nga Tupuna o Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Volume 1
Now also available in full scanned form on our Wellington Recollect website, with the kind permission of the Wellington Tenths Trust.

Published Text

"Kurae Puakawe". In Nga tupuna o Te Whanganui-a-Tara, volume 1. (2001)

Kurae or Ngakurae Puakawe was of Te Matehou iwi of Te Ati Awa. Alternative spellings of the name are Puakauwe or Puwhakaawe. His wife Hoana was the sister of Hirini Nukutaia. There were four sons; Wiremu Kingi Puakawe, Hoani Puakawe, Te Tawai Puakawe and Hare Wiremu Puakawe. The eldest son Wiremu Kingi Puakawe signed the Deeds of Release together with three other chiefs at Waiwhetu on the 15 March 1844 for which payment was made by Major Richmond.

Kurae Puakawe the father had, in the early discussions about the sale of land to Colonel Wakefield of the NZ Company, spoken very strongly against the sale. Later he had been persuaded that the arrival of the settlers was a good thing and had become just as strongly loyal to the young colony. He was very genuinely liked by the new settlers.

On the day of his death he had set off with a woman and a child to cultivate his ground at Okiwi now known as Point Howard and had disappeared. Later his mutilated body was found and although the Ngati Raukawa iwi living near Kapiti was first thought to be responsible it was found that a foraging party of Ngati Kahungunu had killed him.

His death left the young community deeply saddened by the loss of a friend and fearful of further inter iwi conflict.

References:

(MB = Minute Book)

I Te Reo Māori -

Ko Kurae, arā, ko Ngakurae Puakawe, nō Te Matehou o Te Āti Awa. He tātaki kupu kē o tōna ingoa ko Puakauwe, ko Puwhakaawe rānei. Ko tōna hoa wahine ko Hoana, ā, ko ia te tuahine o Hirini Nukutaia. Tokowhā ā rāua tamariki; ko Wiremu Kingi Puakawe rātou ko Hoani Puakawe, ko Te Tawai Puakawe, ko Hare Wiremu Puakawe. Ko te tamaiti mātāmua, a Wiremu Kingi Puakawe, nāna i waitohu i te Pukapuka Tuku o te Rīti tahi me ētehi atu rangatira tokotoru ki Waiwhetu i te 15 o Poutū-te-rangi i te tau 1844, ā, i utua e Major Richmond.

I te wā pahake o Kurae Puakawe, i ngā kōrero tuatahi mō te hoko whenua ki a Colonel Wakefield mai i te Kamupene o Niu Tireni, kāore i kaha tautoko i te hoko whenua. Erangi i muri iho, ka whakapakepakea ia ki ngā painga o te taenga mai o ngā tāngata whai, ā, ka tino tautoko ia i te koroni hou. Ka tino arohaina ia e ngā tāngata whai hou.

I te rā i mate ia, ka haere ia me tētehi wahine me tētehi tamaiti ki te whakamahi i ōna ngakinga ki Okiwi, ka kīia tonu ko Point Howard, ā, ka nunumi atu ki reira. I muri iho ka kitea tōna tinana mutumutu, ā, ahakoa ka whakaarotia ko Ngāti Raukawa te iwi e noho tata ana ki Kāpiti te hunga nāna ia i patu, ka tūhuratia nā tētehi tauā o Ngāti Kahungunu kē ia i patu.

I tōna mate, ka mahue pāpā te hapori hou i te ngarohanga o tō rātou hoa, ā, ka wehi hoki rātou mō te totohē tonu o ngā whawhai i waenga o ngā iwi Māori.