Niniwa Heremaia

Niniwa-i-te-rangi (often known as Niniwa Heremaia), a Ngati Kahungunu woman of mana, was born in Wairarapa in 1854. Through her battles in the Native Land Court, her abilities as a speaker, and her knowledge of whakapapa and tradition, she qualified as a leader of Wairarapa Maori.

She was involved in hosting the Kotahitanga Parliament when it met at Papawai in 1897 and 1898. Later she took an editorial role in setting up the Maori-language newspapers Te Puke ki Hikurangi and Te Tiupiri.

During the 1890s her stature as a leader increased, and in 1898 she was the only woman who gave evidence to Parliament’s Native Affairs Committee inquiry into Maori land legislation. In 1904 Niniwa sponsored the production of the Maori Record, an English-language newspaper devoted to the advancement of the Maori people. She died at Greytown in 1929.

• See also: biography of Niniwa-i-te-rangi on the DNZB website