KUKUTAI, the leading chief of the Ngati-Tipa tribe in the early nineteenth century. He led the Ngati-Tipa contingent in the Amio-whenua expedition of 1821-22, and also accompanied the expedition to help the Ngati-Raukawa against Ngati-Awa and personally carried the overtures of peace after the engagement at Haowhenua. Just before the peace of 1822 he joined the Ngapuhi in making war on Te Rauparaha at Kawhia. When the Rev. R. Maunsell settled in his territory in the late thirties, Kukutai felt keenly the degradation (as he thought) of his grandson Ngataru being converted to Christianity, and afterwards dying, in the land of another tribe (at Kohanga). His sons Ngapaka and Waata had great difficulty in preventing him from killing a slave at the obsequies. Kukutai was killed at Te Ihutaroa in 1846, and the tribe elected his second son, Waata, to be chief.

Waata Kukutai was a man of remarkable talents and natural qualities. Closely tattooed, he had a fine, commanding figure and dignified manners, and he built himself a European house, though continuing to live in a whare close by. On becoming chief he moved his whole tribe to Kohanga, and all were baptised under the teaching of Maunsell and lived peaceably and usefully, engaged in farming and dwelling in European houses. In 1857 Kukutai was elected manager of the tribal farm, which was governed by a set of regulations one of which declared: 'Whether chiefs or slaves, we agree to work equally and to divide equally the fruits of our labour.' Kukutai was a friend of Governor Grey, and was appointed in 1857 an assessor to sit with the resident magistrate. Though he was opposed to land selling, he did not approve of the King movement, and at the meeting in 1857 he paraded all the Queen natives under the Union Jack. He stopped the use of liquor at Maori meetings and the holding of tangi-hui. In 1860 Kukutai gave evidence before the Waikato committee of the House of Representatives, and in the following year he was installed at Taupiri as a magistrate. Grey was present to explain his intentions towards the Maori people.

In the Waikato war he took the Government side, moved his people lower down the river to Te Ia, and furnished a water transport corps on the Waikato. He was a major in the New Zealand militia. After the war his people were enlisted for roadmaking and frontier guards. Their settlements at Taupiri and Kohanga were models of orderliness and efficiency. Kukutai was one of the most civilised of the North Island chiefs, but was rather reckless in his expenditure.

After his death, which occurred on 8 Jan 1867, his people became a prey to the general despondency into which the Maori people fell and their habits degenerated considerably. He was succeeded by his nephew Hori, who was reserved and kindly in disposition, but had not a strong character.

Morton; Cowan; N.Z. Herald, 5 Jul 1869; Gorst; App. H.R., 1856-67; W. Williams; Cowan; Maunsell; Stack, More Maoriland Adventures.

Reference: Volume 1, page 255

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