Tiahuia - A Karanga For My Mother

As the whangai daughter of Te Puea Herangi, an inspiring leader of the Waikato, Tiahuia Te Puea Herangi witnessed and took part in some of the major events that changed Aotearoa New Zealand. Merenia Gray, Tiahuia’s daughter, explores Tiahuia’s life and her whakapapa. Using stories, poetry, letters and interviews, Merenia retells the stories of how her ancestors survived Te Rauparaha’s raids, signed the Treaty of Waitangi, and came from Norfolk and Aberdeen to settle in Nelson.

Tiahuia was a teacher, an artist, a Wellington City Councillor, a graduate of Victoria University, a nurse, a lifelong member of Ngati Poneke, and a skilled practitioner of a range of Maori performing arts, particularly karanga.

She was a unique woman whose life drew together te ao Maori and te ao Pakeha.