Modest start in life for an inspirational leader

Dame Te Ata in 1991 at celebrations for the 25th anniversary of her coronation.

Born Piki Mahuta at Huntly's Waahi Pa on July 23, 1931, the Maori Queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, was the only child of King Koroki and Te Atairangikaahu.

King Koroki had an older daughter, Tuura, from an earlier relationship.

The labour was so exhausting for Dame Te Ata's mother that her father vowed there would be no more children for fear it would kill his wife.

Dame Te Ata was later joined by whangai (adopted) siblings, including her much-loved brother and trusted adviser, the late Sir Robert Mahuta.

Dame Te Ata was born into a modest world, a raupo hut with a dirt floor where fires in kerosene tins provided light and warmth.

Her birth inspired the then king, Te Rata, her grandfather, to exclaim: "Tuura is mine, but Piki belongs to the world. Teach her well."

Two years later her grandfather died and her father was crowned king. He ruled for 33 years.

Educated at Ngaruawahia's Rakaumanga school and later Diocesan School in Hamilton, she went on to be a house captain and prefect, excelling at fencing and swimming.

She was mentored by respected leader and her great-aunt Te Puea Herangi, a confidante and adviser to King Mahuta, cousin and adviser to King Te Rata, aunty and adviser to King Koroki.

Her formative years were spent as any other teenager of the time, playing sport, socialising with friends and included a stint working in a Hamilton department store.

Her high birth afforded few luxuries, and the at-times fierce direction and monitoring of Te Puea caused the independent-minded youngster some frustration.

It was in matters of the heart that the fierce determination which was to characterise Dame Te Ata's rule first appeared.

She refused attempts by Te Puea to arrange her marriage and insisted on marrying her sweetheart, Whatumoana Paki. The pair married hastily in a simple ceremony before a traditional ceremony was held later.

The couple had seven children: Heeni Wharemaru, Kiri Tokia Ete Tomairangi, Tuheitia, Maharaia, Mihikiteao, Kiki and Te Manawanui.

Dame Te Ata declined offers of help, raising her family and involving herself in housework as any other wife and mother.

In the 1960s her father's health began to fail and she was often called to deputise for him. In April 1965 her mother Te Atairangikaahu died and weeks later her father, aged 59.

She was named the new leader of the Kingitanga hours before his burial, following six days of mourning.

During her rule she was instrumental in maintaining unity within the Tainui tribe and the drive to seek greater financial autonomy for her Waikato people, who had suffered severe deprivations after the land wars of the 1860s. More than 400,000ha of land was confiscated after the conflict.

The drive to seek compensation for the confiscations was at the heart of the Queen's greatest achievement of her reign. She was influential in empowering her whangai brother Sir Robert to lead the tribe's treaty claim. He settled the historic $170 million treaty deal in 1995.

It was under Dame Te Ata's rule that the nature and structure of the tribe evolved to meet the changing dynamics of the Maori world.

It saw the re-invigoration of the Kauhanganui or tribal parliament and the introduction of a separation between the tribe's cultural and financial arms.

Bonds with the Government were maintained through her niece Nanaia Mahuta, Sir Robert's daughter, who entered Parliament in 1996.

It was also at this time that a clear delineation between the role of the tribe's traditional and cultural leader began to be separated from the growing commercial requirements of the now multimillion-dollar iwi organisation.

It saw a period of conflict within the tribe culminating in 2001 when the then Tainui chairman, Kingi Porima, took Sir Robert, and Dame Te Ata as a second defendant, to the High Court in a bid to prevent the sacking of the board.

The prominence of the Kingitanga and its recognition by national and international leaders was reflected in visits by Pacific and Commonwealth dignitaries and world leaders, including Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela.

Members of the British royal family also paid their respects to Maori.

Many of the country's Prime Ministers were visitors to the Queen's official home at Turangawaewae Marae, including Jenny Shipley and Jim Bolger. Helen Clark is understood to have maintained regular contact.

In 1987, Dame Te Ata became one of the first New Zealanders to be appointed to the Order of New Zealand, the country's highest honour.

She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Waikato University in 1973, and an honorary doctorate of law from Victoria University in 1999.

She supported traditional and contemporary Maori arts, and urged her people to pursue quality and excellence in everything they did, from sports to tribal enterprise and national management.

She was also instrumental in the kohanga reo movement and the Maori Women's Welfare League.

Maoridom's first woman monarch's period of leadership heralded an unprecedented time of change for Maori and for the country.

Dame Te Ata maintained dignity and respect as the requirements for leadership within her tribe and Maoridom continued to change.

She was a link to a noble tradition who maintained its tenets and influence and ensured the strong Waikato traditions were maintained within her iwi.