PAPAKURA, MARGARET (MRS STAPLES-BROWNE) (1872-1930) was born at Whakarewarewa, the daughter of W. A. Thom and his wife, a woman of the Arawa tribe. She was brought up by her elder native relatives, Maihi te Kakau Paraoa and Marara Marotaua, and received her later education for one year at an English girls' school in Tauranga and for three years at Hukarere College, Napier. From her earlier teachers she learned much of the lore of the Maori and the history of her own tribe. In 1891 she married W. F. Denman. She acted as a guide to visitors at Whakarewarewa for some years, meeting many interesting travellers and widening her knowledge of both races. In 1911 she went to the Festival of Empire in London with a Maori troupe and a carved meeting house which attracted a good deal of attention. While there she renewed her acquaintance with R. C. Staples-Browne, whom she married. At their home in Oxfordshire, and in London, she did much to entertain Maori and pakeha soldiers during the war of 1914-18. In 1926 she became a member of the University of Oxford, where she made a study of anthropology and began to arrange her material. Part of this she presented for the degree of B.Sc. With the help of T. K. Penniman (secretary to the committee for anthropology at Oxford), she wrote a valuable volume on The Old Time Maori. This was published in 1938, some years after her death, which occurred on 16 Apr 1930.

Margaret Papakura, op. cit. (p); T. K. Penniman, ibid; N.Z. Herald, 21 Apr 1930.

Reference: Volume 2, page 76

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