In 1840 more than 500 chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document. Ngā Tohu, when complete, will contain a biographical sketch of each signatory.
| Signature | Sheet | Signed as | Probable name | Tribe | Hapū | Signing Occasion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 | Sheet 8 — The Cook Strait (Henry Williams) Sheet | Te Ruru | Āperahama Te Ruru | Ngāti Raukawa | Ngāti Huia, Ngāti Kikopiri | Ōtaki?, 19 May 1840 |
Aperahama Te Ruru signed Te Tiriti at Ōtaki on 19 May 1840. He was one of a group of leading Ngāti Raukawa rangatira who signed at Ōtaki. The leader of Ngāti Huia, he lived at Pākākutu, at the mouth of the Ōtaki River.
Aperahama became a Christian shortly after the arrival of the Anglican bishop Octavius Hadfield in Horowhenua and included the teachings of Christianity in his leadership. He was described by the bishop as a man ‘of courage and high character, self-reliance and independence’.
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