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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Sheet 8 — The Cook Strait (Henry Williams) Sheet | Porutu | Te Rīrā Pōrutu | Te Āti Awa | Ngāti Hāmua, Pūhoromanga, Te Matehou | Port Nicholson, 29 April 1840 |
Te Rīrā Pōrutu signed Te Tiriti at Port Nicholson on 29 April 1840. He was the son of Tūhēhē and Te Whetū of Patukai. He and his wife Te Awa had four children: Īhāia, Hārata, Ihakara and Hēnare Piti Pōrutu.
Te Rīrā migrated from Taranaki to Te Whanganui-a-Tara in the 1830s. He had rights to Ōrangi Kaupapa reserve in Wellington and part of Pipitea pā. He mainly lived on the town acres he was granted on Tinakori Road, which he built a house on and cultivated until 1865.
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