TE KOOTI, or RIKIRANGI, also called TE TURUKI (1830-93), was the son of Te Rangi Patai, of the Ngati-Maru hapu of Rongo-Whakata, of Poverty Bay. He belonged to both Ngati-Kahungunu and Ngati-Porou and was called by the Tuhoe 'Te Turuki.' The origin of the name Te Kooti is obscure. It is held by some to have been assumed at his baptism, after Dandeson Coates (q.v.). Another explanation is that it signified 'court,' Rikirangi having been one of the early litigants in the native land court at Turanga. He was not of chiefly birth, but as a young man showed considerable force of character and personal magnetism. While a pupil at the mission school at Whakato, or Waerenga-a-Hika, he studied deeply both the Old and the New Testament. A skilful horseman and boatman, he was for some time supercargo of the native schooner Henry, and captain of the Rua-whetuki.

When the Hauhau insurrection reached the East Coast district in 1865, Rikirangi accompanied the colonial forces in the field. At the siege of Waerenga-a-Hika (Nov 1865) when he was left in charge of the ammunition, he entered the pa and communicated with his friends amongst the defenders. Being suspected of spying, or of supplying the enemy with caps, he was placed under arrest and kept in custody for several days. He was not tried but was rearrested some time later and, without being tried, was sent away with other prisoners to the Chatham Islands, on the grounds that he was generally troublesome. His tribesmen made no objection to this treatment, but Te Kooti considered the punishment unjust, and he devoted much of his time in captivity to considering means of obtaining his freedom and avenging himself. He now practised the Pai-marire rites, and as an apostle of Ringatu he gained considerable influence over his fellow prisoners. Incidentally he commenced to prepare a new version of the New Testament. His mana was considerably enhanced by his unexpected recovery from a serious illness. Te Kooti did useful service as steersman of the government whaleboat.

Alarmed at the influence he was exercising over the other prisoners, the authorities ordered Te Kooti to desist from preaching. He complied, but a fellow prisoner assumed the role of preacher, using the pure Pai-marire doctrines. The prisoners generally now expected Te Kooti to lead them out of bondage and when, on 4 Jul 1868, he seized the schooner Rifleman the pakeha guards and the crew of the schooner were the only ones to be taken by surprise. Only one man was killed. The captain was compelled to navigate the vessel back to New Zealand, having on board 298 Maori - including 64 women and 71 children - and all the arms and ammunition they could find in the government offices and in private houses. When adverse weather was encountered a relative of Te Kooti was sacrificed to propitiate the gods. The Rifleman reached the landing place at Whareongaonga on 10 Jul. Major Biggs, R.M., immediately called out the Mounted Rifles and sent a chief of Te Kooti's hapu to call upon him to give up his arms. He replied that he intended to proceed to the Waikato, to open up the road into the interior, and to set up a new King of the Maori. Setting out on the 15th, he was pursued by the Colonial forces and attacked at Paparatu on the 20th. Te Kooti surprised the force by a flank and rear attack and inflicted some losses, in the glory of which he directed his course towards upper Wairoa, where he was joined by Te Waru (q.v.). Impressed by the new karakia of the Ringatu, many of the local natives who had been wavering joined him. On 8 Aug he beat off an attack at Ruakiture and retired to Papuni to nurse his wound and to receive more reinforcements from the Ngati-Porou and from Urewera.

On 9 Nov Te Kooti made a sudden descent on the settlements in Poverty Bay district, massacring Major Biggs and many of the outlying settlers and their families; in all 88 whites and 27 friendly natives. Ropata Wahawaha (q.v.), with a force of Ngati-Porou and Ngati-Kahungunu under Preece, drove him from a strong position at Makaretu with the loss of 63 killed (including the chief Nama). He withdrew to a strongly fortified position at Ngatapa, which was assaulted first on 5 Dec, and from which he was dislodged with the loss of 136 killed on 5 Jan 1869. Thereafter he was pursued with great intrepidity through the Urewera and the Taupo country. Lightning marches and hairbreadth escapes preserved his mana and enabled him to cow wavering or neutral tribes into joining his force. Nevertheless, the steady attrition of his forces by pursuing detachments gradually reduced his power for mischief.

He had been driven from the Urewera country and was making towards Taupo in the hope of enlisting the help of the Ngati-Tuwharetoa and the King tribes, when the Colonial troops converged upon him and cut off his retreat to the bush. After sharp fighting south of Lake Taupo he was brought to bay in a strongly fortified position at Porere, in the open country west of Roto-aira. The stronghold was surrounded and carried by assault on 3 Oct. Te Kooti was again wounded, having a finger shot off, but managed to escape to the forests of the Wanganui river. There he was befriended by Mamaku, until news of the killing of an old man at a Taupo village who was related to Topia Turoa brought that chief unequivocally to the side of the Government. Mamaku warned Te Kooti of the approach of hostile forces from Wanganui under Topia and Keepa te Rangihiwinui. Disappointed in his hopes of help from Rewi, Te Kooti fled northward and disappeared in the forest. This ended the campaign.

In Jan 1870 J. C. Firth (q.v.) met Te Kooti at Turangamoana and transmitted to the Government his message that he wished to live at peace and would not fight again unless he was attacked. He refused to surrender, and the Government declined to honour the half-promise made by Dr Pollen (without its authority) that he would not be apprehended. There were, however, no further operations against him, and he never again raised a hand against the Government. Though several times wounded, Te Kooti was never disabled. In 1871, accompanied by his wife Sophia, the faithful companion of his arduous campaigns, he withdrew to the King Country and placed himself under the benevolent protection of Tawhiao. He claimed later that he had not been guilty of any offence against the law since 1874; and in 1883 he exerted his influence, which was still considerable amongst the disaffected tribes, to secure the safety of the surveyors Hursthouse and Newsham. He continued to exercise mana through the practice of the Ringatu cult, but made no resistance to the progress of the surveys in the interior. At a meeting at Manga-o-Rongo on 12 Feb 1883 the Native Minister (Bryce), in the presence of Rewi, formally pardoned Te Kooti and gave him a small piece of land near Orakau on which he might live. The offer of a reward of £5,000, which had accompanied the proclamation of his outlawry in 1868, was then revoked.

While Mitchelson was Native Minister (1887-89) Te Kooti paid a visit to Auckland, where he was an object of much interest. He travelled widely over the North Island, including Hawkes Bay, but when he wished to revisit his people at Poverty Bay in 1889 feeling was so hostile that the Government dissuaded him. A few years before his death the Ngati-Maniapoto, amongst whom he was living, erected for him at Te Kuiti an interesting house embellished with rich carvings symbolic of events in his stirring career and aspects of his curious philosophy, which was a compound of Judaism, Christianity and Hauhauism. Sobriety and hard work were inculcated, and every twelfth day was considered holy. Te Kooti composed many waiata, which were distinguished by original and unaffected imagery. His yearning to be back amongst the Urewera led the Government to grant him a small area near Ohiwa, Bay of Plenty, for a residence. There he died a few months later (17 Apr 1893), his age being stated as about 70 years. In stature Te Kooti was about 5ft 9in. He had a firm jaw and was not tattooed.

N.Z.P.D., pass. and 1 Aug 1888; Monthly Review N.Z., 1889, p 175; Cowan; Lambert; Gudgeon; Whitmore; Porter, Life of Ropata Wahawaha; Buller; Gascoyne; Grace; N.Z. Herald, 8, 23 Feb 1889; 28 Mar 1891; 18 Apr 1893; 19 Feb 1930; T. W. Porter in Otago Daily Times, 16 Feb-16 May 1914.

Reference: Volume 1, page 254

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