TE HEUHEU TUKINO IV, HORONUKU or PATAATAI (1826-88), the younger son of Te Heuheu I, took the name Horonuku from the circumstances of the death of his father. Pataatai was with his relatives the Ngati-Maniapoto when the landslide at Te Rapa occurred. On becoming head of the tribe he assumed also the patronymic 'Te Heuheu.' A grandson of Rangiaho, a chieftainess of Ngati-Maniapoto, he was absent with his mother's people at Pamotumotu, in the Rangitoto range, at the time of the disaster. As he was too young for the leadership of the tribe his uncle Iwikau (q.v.) ruled as regent. In 1847 Horonuku was escorted back to his father's people by a great gathering of Ngati-Maniapoto, Waikato and Ngati-Haua, including Tawhiao and Tamihana te Waharoa. Though a man of great stature, Horonuku was not a distinguished warrior, and in fact never engaged seriously in warfare. He was a staunch supporter of Christianity and the missions, but sympathised strongly with the King movement; and when the Waikato war broke out (1863) he warned the missionaries that he could no longer protect them. Raising a taua of 200 men, who attended a solemn service at the mission at Pukawa, he embarked in a fleet of canoes furnished by the Ngati-te-Rangi-ita, and proceeded through lake Taupo and down the Waikato river to join the King forces at Meremere. Finding the King troops already retreating before General Cameron's advance, he declined to become involved in the fighting at Orakau, from which he quietly withdrew his taua, and retreated to his own country. Meanwhile the Rev T.S. Grace had abandoned the mission. Horonuku was not again on the warpath until 1869, when he yielded to pressure by Te Kooti and brought a detachment to his help. With this contingent he garrisoned one of the works at Porere, a little to the west of the fortified position of Mahaukura, west of lake Roto-aira. Shortly after the attack commenced, on 3 Oct 1869, Horonuku escaped to the bush with his men and remained in hiding. In response to a message from Colonel McDonnell and Sir D. McLean advising him to withdraw from association with Te Kooti, he came out and tendered his submission. McLean had Horonuku and his family sent to Napier, where they were admitted to a benevolent parole to keep them out of harm. In 1870 they returned to their homes.

Horonuku only slowly became reconciled to British rule. In 1878 he presided over the native parliament, but took little part in its proceedings. He remained a Kingite at heart, and he and his son Tureiti in 1885 signed Topia Turoa's demand for self-government. In 1886 the native land court awarded to Horonuku the peaks of the three mountains. Anxious to secure the future of this region, he accepted the suggestion of his son-in-law (L. M. Grace, q.v.) and presented the area, amounting to 6,500 acres, to the government as the nucleus of a national park. It was later increased by purchase to 150,000 acres. Horonuku died on 30 Jul 1888.

The inscription on the monument at W. and the explanation of this given by Judge F. O. V. Acheson regarding the use of the title 'Horonuku' conflict with the statements of James Cowan, J. H. Grace and R. H. Ward. Acheson says that the leaders of the tribe when the monument was erected desired the name Horonuku to be applied to Te Heuheu I, who was himself killed in the landslide in 1846.

Cowan; Grace (p); N.Z. Railways Magazine, Nov 1935 (p); N.Z. Herald, 13 Aug 1888.

Reference: Volume 1, page 210

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