Nga Tohu

In 1840 more than 500 chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document. Ngā Tohu, when complete, will contain a biographical sketch of each signatory.


Signing

SignatureSheetSigned asProbable nameTribeHapūSigning Occasion
80Sheet 8 — The Cook Strait (Henry Williams) SheetMatiaTe Mātenga Te MātiaNgāti RaukawaNgāti PareŌtaki? 19 May 1840

Te Mātia signed Te Tiriti at Ōtaki on 19 May 1840. He was regarded as being second in rank only to Te Whatanui within Ngāti Pare. He married Paranihia Te Whāwhā, a daughter of Te Ruru, and they had three daughters.

He was baptised Te Mātenga (Marsden). He lived at Ōtaki. The bishop Octavius Hadfield found him a cantankerous objector to the introduction of Christianity, but their feud ended when Te Mātia converted to the new religion.


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