TE WARU TAMATEA, or KURU, one of Te Kooti's lieutenants, was a sub-chief of Ngati Maru, his hapu being Ngati-Whaoa, of Paeroa. At the fall of Te Pakake (1824) his uncle Te Umu-Kohukohu, a principal chief of Ngai-te-Rangi (Tauranga) was killed. In avenging him Te Waru found his way to Wairoa and remained there. He was a man of fine qualities, an outstanding type of the old Maori warrior. When war broke out in Waikato Te Waru sided with the King natives and with his Ngati-Kahungunu contingent he played an important part in the defence of Orakau (Mar-Apr 1864). With his brother Reihana, or Horotiu, and his cousin Tipene, Te Waru made his escape to Puniu, but the whole taua was lost, and he returned to Wairoa with diminished mana. Nevertheless the glamour of having fought against the soldiers served him well. When the Hauhau rising broke out in 1865, Te Waru, under the mischievous influence of his brother Reihana, entertained the deputation of Te Ua in his pa and sympathised strongly with the movement. He was one of the first Bay of Plenty chiefs to take the field against the pakeha, being present at Te Reinga. On 25 Dec he attacked a colonial force at Te Pou. He was wounded in the arm in Jan 1866. In Mar Reihana was surprised and captured, and in May Te Waru surrendered with 20 of his men. Unfortunately he was not sent to the Chathams with the other prisoners but was allowed to return to his home. A few months later Kopu died and suspicion of practising makutu surrounded Te Waru. This again threw him into the camp of the Hauhau. Towards the end of 1868 four peace emissaries sent to persuade Te Waru to live close in to Wairoa were massacred at Whataroa by Reihana, who cut out Karaitiana Roto-a-Tara's heart. Te Waru left the previous night to join Te Kooti in the field. An expedition was sent against him (Mar 1869) in the belief that he was at the Whanganui-a-Parua arm of Waikaremoana with the whole of the Maungapohatu people and the Hauhau hapus from Wairoa, and that Te Kooti was likely to join him. In Apr he made a sudden raid on the Wairoa valley while Te Kooti launched his attack on Mohaka. Te Waru was repulsed by Rowley Hill (q.v.) at Hiruharama and early in 1870 he surrendered unconditionally to Gascoyne and Preece at Horomanga. He was taken to the Bay of Plenty and placed in charge of friendly tribes and afterwards moved to Wai-o-tahe, but was afraid to return to Wairoa owing to the massacre of the scouts.

Cowan, i, ii, 396; S.P. Smith, Wars.

Reference: Volume 2, page 236

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