Sir Eruera Tirikātene | |
|---|---|
 Tirikātene inc.1950s | |
| 16thMinister of Forests | |
| In office 12 December 1957 – 12 December 1960 | |
| Prime Minister | Walter Nash |
| Preceded by | Geoff Gerard |
| Succeeded by | Geoff Gerard |
| Minister without portfolio | |
| In office 26 May 1943 – 13 December 1949 | |
| Prime Minister | Peter Fraser |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forSouthern Maori | |
| In office 3 August 1932 – 11 January 1967 | |
| Preceded by | Tuiti Makitānara |
| Succeeded by | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1895-01-05)5 January 1895 Te Rakiwhakaputa pā,Kaiapoi, New Zealand |
| Died | 11 January 1967(1967-01-11) (aged 72) Kaiapoi, New Zealand |
| Resting place | Te Kai A Te Atua Urupa, Kaiapoi |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | Rātana |
| Spouse | Ruti Matekino Solomon |
| Relations | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan (daughter) Rino Tirikatene (grandson) |
| Children | 12 |
Sir Eruera Tihema Te Āika TirikāteneKCMG (5 January 1895 – 11 January 1967) was a New ZealandMāori politician ofNgāi Tahu descent. Known in early life as Edward James Te Āika Tregerthen, he was the firstRātana Member of Parliament and was elected in a by-election forSouthern Maori inJune 1932 after the death ofTuiti Makitānara.
He remained the MP until his death in 1967, when his daughterWhetu Tirikatene-Sullivan succeeded to the seat, also in a by-election.
After education at St Stephen's Anglican Church, Tirikātene worked on farms before enlisting in 1914 for the First World War. He served three years with the New Zealand Māori (Pioneer) Battalion, reaching the rank of sergeant, and was commended for carrying a wounded soldier while under fire.[1]
In 1919, he was married to Ruti Matekino Solomon and the couple went on to have twelve children. In the same year, he settled on a small farm nearKaiapoi, where he also set up a dairy farm, a saw mill, a fishing fleet and a ferry service. During the Second World War in 1944 their second son, Sergeant Pilot John Aperehama, aged 21, was killed in an aircraft accident in Auckland. He was buried at Te Kai A Te Atua Urupā, Kaiapoi.
By 1921 he visitedRātana pā, andT. W. Ratana, the spiritual leader or Te Mangai of Rātana, predicted an important role for him. Te Mangai persuaded him to stay, and with his practical skills, served the movement by taking charge of the harvesting of Rātana lands.
As the Rātana movement developed into a political movement, Eruera Tirikātene became a leader in the internal political council and stood for parliament in the1928 and1931 elections, being defeated narrowly in both. In 1928 he and most of his extended family spent the election at Rātana Pā helping with the wheat harvest. At the time there were few provisions forabsentee voting, and unable to even vote for himself, Tirikātene lost the election by one vote.[2]
In June 1932, the sitting MP forSouthern Maori,Tuiti Makitānara died suddenly and Eruera won the by-election to become the first Rātana MP. Tirikātene continued to represent his electorate until his death in January 1967. His initial majorities were small, only 43 in1935.
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932–1935 | 24th | Southern Maori | Rātana | ||
| 1935–1936 | 25th | Southern Maori | Rātana | ||
| 1936–1938 | Changed allegiance to: | Labour | |||
| 1938–1943 | 26th | Southern Maori | Labour | ||
| 1943–1946 | 27th | Southern Maori | Labour | ||
| 1946–1949 | 28th | Southern Maori | Labour | ||
| 1949–1951 | 29th | Southern Maori | Labour | ||
| 1951–1954 | 30th | Southern Maori | Labour | ||
| 1954–1957 | 31st | Southern Maori | Labour | ||
| 1957–1960 | 32nd | Southern Maori | Labour | ||
| 1960–1963 | 33rd | Southern Maori | Labour | ||
| 1963–1966 | 34th | Southern Maori | Labour | ||
| 1966–1967 | 35th | Southern Maori | Labour | ||
From his maiden speech, Tirikātene made recognition of theTreaty of Waitangi one of his major aims, presenting a petition with over 30,000 signatures. The petition from the Rātanamorehu was held over for thirteen years before being virtually ignored, but Tirikatane continued to raise the Treaty issue in debates.
During the depression of that time, Māori were expected to subsist from their land, and were not given equal access to unemployment payments and relief work. Proving entitlement to the old age pension was also more difficult for Māori, as Māori did not have to register births until 1919. Tirikātene spoke out against this discrimination in social welfare which caused poverty to Māori and the removal of this inequality by the Labour Government strengthened the Labour and Rātana bond.
Following the Rātana-Labour alliance, Tirikātene became the First President of the Labour Party Māori Advisory Council, a committee to set Māori policy for the party. During the Second World War, Tirikātene set up and led the Māori War Effort Organisation. The experience of Māori running their own affairs led him to introduce the Māori Social and Economic Advancement Act of 1945, but it did not give the independence foriwi he had hoped for.
Between 1946 and 1949, Tirikātene was involved in land claim settlements for Waikato—Maniapoto and Taranaki. He persuaded the Ngāi Tahu to accept the Ngaitahu Claim Settlement Act of 1944 and became president of the Ngaitahu Trust Board.
After a period in opposition, he was appointedMinister of Forests, and Minister in charge of Printing and Stationery. Tirikātene was expecting Māori Affairs, which was taken by Prime MinisterWalter Nash. The two often clashed, with Tirikātene wanting greater autonomy for Māori. One achievement of this period was the official recognition ofWaitangi Day through theWaitangi Day Act 1960, commemorating the signing ofTe Tiriti o Waitangi.
Tirikātene continued committee work while in opposition after 1960, and remained an MP until his death. He was succeeded in the seat by his daughter,Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan.
In 1935, Tirikātene was awarded theKing George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[3] In 1953, he was awarded theQueen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[4] He was appointed aKnight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the1960 Queen's Birthday Honours.[5] Within the Rātana movement, he was known as Te Omeka.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Forests 1957–1960 | Succeeded by |
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Southern Maori 1932–1967 | Succeeded by |
