Signing details
Te Morenga, the son of Whāingaroa, was a leading rangatira of significant mana based in the fertile Taiāmai district. Both a rival and an ally of Hongi Hika, he led numerous taua throughout the early 1800s and was a distinguished military leader.
With the arrival of missionaries, Te Morenga became a close friend of and guide for Samuel Marsden, who wrote: 'Te Morenga’s distinction is outstanding even among his great contemporaries.' [1] He accompanied Marsden on his journeys to the Hauraki Gulf, and also travelled with him to Sydney. The desire for access to European trade through the missionaries sometimes led to differences with Hongi Hika, but by the 1820s they were allies at battles such as Te Ika-a-Ranganui in 1825.
Te Morenga was one of 13 rangatira to sign the 1831 letter to King William IV, and is said to have joined Tītore’s taua to Tauranga in 1833. According to some accounts, his health was failing at this time and he died in 1834, which suggests it may have been his son, Kihiringi Te Morenga, who signed He Whakaputanga in his name on 12 July 1837. Others say Te Morenga signed himself.
[1] ‘Te Morenga’, from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, ed. A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
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