As the whāngai daughter of Te Puea Hērangi, an inspiring leader of the Waikato, Tiahuia Te Puea Hērangi 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 Ngāti Pōneke, and a skilled practitioner of a range of Māori performing arts, particularly karanga.
She was a unique woman whose life drew together te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā.