Wiremu Pere

Wiremu Pere, of mixed Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki/Te Whanau a Kai/Rongowhakata and European descent, was born in 1837 at Turanga (Gisborne). When war came to the East Coast in 1865 Wi Pere remained a government supporter. At the same time, he protested against both the exile of Poverty Bay Maori without trial to the Chatham Islands, and the government's moves to confiscate their land.

When the rebel leader Te Kooti escaped from the Chathams in July 1868, Wi Pere helped government forces pursue him, although he had some sympathy for Te Kooti. He opposed the land confiscation which followed this conflict.

In the 1870s he supported the Repudiation movement, which aimed to reverse alleged fraudulent land purchases. He also opposed the Native Land Court giving land title to individuals, believing land should be owned by hapū (sub-tribes) or whanau (family). Through these activities he became an important Maori leader in the region.

Wi Pere later tried to help Maori cut through the complex land laws and difficulties associated with multiple ownership of land. He also worked to ensure that they could finance land development. From 1880 he and W. L. Rees, a lawyer for the Repudiation movement, persuaded many East Coast Maori to hand over some of their lands to a trust. The land would then be sold or leased, and the money used for Maori land development. But the scheme failed, partly because of economic depression, and hostility from politicians.

However, Wi Pere remained concerned that Maori keep their lands and farm it themselves. He gained wide support, and was elected to Parliament representing Eastern Maori in 1884. He spoke strongly against the Native Land Court and dealing with individuals rather than tribal groups. He was also in favour of giving Maori communities control over their lands through elected "block committees".

In 1887 he was defeated by James Carroll. Pere re-entered Parliament in 1894. Once again he strongly criticised the government's Maori land policies. He called for a boycott of the Native Land Court and an end to land sales and leasing. He continued to press for greater Maori control over land. He also joined the Kotahitanga movement and supported its demand for a separate Maori Parliament, abolition of the Maori land laws and implementation of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Pere lost his seat to the young Apirana Ngata in 1905. In 1907 he was appointed to the Legislative Council, where he remained until 1912. He died in 1915.

• Find out more: biography of Wi Pere on the DNZB website