Ike Robin

Ihakara Te Tuku Rapana (8 November 1886 – 21 June 1968), commonly known as Ike Robin, was a New Zealand sportsman, businessman, orator and member for the Māori Anglican Church. A champion sheep shearer and professional wrestler, he was the first national heavyweight champion recognised by the National Wrestling Association and successfully defended the title against some of the top stars of the Gold Dust Trio-era, most notably, Stanislaus Zbyszko in 1926. Over 40 years after his death, he was ranked No. 7 in a top ten list of New Zealand's greatest wrestlers by Fight Times Magazine in 2009.

As a lay reader of the Anglican church he was closely associated with many prominent members of the clergy, such as Bishop Frederick Bennett, and other notable figures as Te Puea Herangi and Sir Turi Carroll. He was also an elder of the Ngāti Kahungunu and especially active in charity work and philanthropy on behalf of the Māori people. His efforts were recognized and was awarded the Order of the British Empire.

Early life Ihakara Te Tuku Rapana was born in Wairoa, New Zealand, on 8 November 1886. He was the second of four children born to Ihakara Rapana, a member of the Ngāti Raukawa, and Riripeti Te Aue Roberts (or McRobert). His mother was of Scottish and Ngāti Kahungunu descent. Shortly after his birth, Robin's family moved to Kohupatiki where he lived for the rest of his life.

Although he received a primary education, Robin left school at age 15 to become a chauffeur and mechanic for Napier businessman George Donnelly. A year later, he joined his father as a shearer for the Chambers family at Te Mata station, then one of the biggest sheep stations in Hawke's Bay, as well as other various duties. He began shearing sheep at 20 years old and had a highest daily tally of 150 sheep in his first year. He increased this to 200 a year later and, in his third year, he achieved the title of 'gun-shearer' with a 300 tally. He increased this to 343. Robin eventually left Te Mata to find work for other shearing contractors and travelled as far as Wanganui and Turakina for employment. While at Mangaohane station in Taihape, he reached his highest personal tally, setting a record of 358 sheep in 8 hours 20 minutes. Robin also regularly competed in the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society shows. In his best year in the competition, he won seven firsts, three seconds and one third in different shearing events. and, at the peak of his success, Robin employed over 100 workers for both shearing and general farm work. He was able to offer work and accommodation to young homeless Māori, and worked with social welfare agencies in Napier and Hastings. The freezing works at Whakatu and Tomoana caused Robin's shearing contracts to decline as many of his men left his gang and chose to find work independently rather than as a contract worker. he decided to turn professional later that year.

New Zealand and Australasia champion Robin, with his powerful strength and "wire and whipcord" build, was easily able to dominate his opponents. His earliest professional match was against the Indian wrestler M. A. Sunni at the Municipal Theatre in Napier on 3 May 1924, whom he defeated in two falls within 15 minutes. In August, he defeated the South Island champion and was from then on regarded as the best wrestler in all of New Zealand. Also during that year, Robin wrestled World Light Heavyweight Champion Walter Miller in the earliest-known outdoor wrestling match in New Zealand. The event, held by the Hawkes Bay Wrestling Association, attracted a crowd of 12,000 among whom included then Governor-General Sir Charles Furgusson. At the end of the season, Robin suffered a serious shoulder injury in a title defence against M. A. Sunni. The match lasted for two hours before scoring the pinfall at around midnight. Although he retained the title, and won the £1400 purse, doctors prohibited him from wrestling for at least one month.

On 16 March 1925, he defeated Sunni in two straight falls in Auckland to win the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship, and a £750 purse, becoming the first champion In October 1925, he defeated Walter on points in a six-round contest in Hastings for the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship. That year, he was also on the first wrestling event ever held in Brisbane Stadium where Robin defeated Peter Limutkin. He would successfully defend the national title against local and foreign wrestlers for over a year until his retirement in 1926.

Prior to his retirement, he defeated Clarence Weber in a Best 2 out of 3 Falls match for the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship in Melbourne. Upon returning to Napier, he was apparently awarded a gold medal in recognition of his victory. Robin became so popular in the country that a patented wire-strainer for fencing, the "Ike Grip", was named after him. over 1,000 people were turned away from the sold-out Town Hall during their bout on 22 June 1926. Although Zbyszko was billed as the World Heavyweight Champion, he had lost the title to Joe Stecher the previous year. According to one account by the New Zealand Railways Magazine, one of their matches lasted for several hours before ending in a time limit draw which had "gone on for many weary hours and when midnight Saturday chimed and Sunday commenced the match had to cease". Zbyszko later praised Robin's wrestling abilities claiming that few wrestlers could equal Robin for strength and that "with proper training for two months or so, he would be a world-beater". refereeing some preliminary amateur bouts at the Wellington Town Hall, and visiting American wrestler Ed "Strangler" Lewis expressed interest in wrestling Robin for the NWA Australasian title. By 1932, Robin was in full training in preparation for a comeback and, after a six-year absence, had his first return bout against Finnish wrestler Peter Limutkin at the Wellington Town Hall on 18 July 1932. Although he was awarded the victory, Robin's in-ring performance was considered disappointing. The Evening Post noted "Against Peter Limutkin he did not show anything which would give hope of his performing creditably against a visiting wrestler approaching his own weight. Robin certainly won, but that was all, and the match can best be written down as just another effort on the part of the [Dominion] Wrestling Union to give a local man a chance to prove his worth".

As the season went on, his later bouts were more favourably reviewed. His 21 July match against younger Māori wrestler Toa Kaha, for example, went to the full four rounds amazing the audience "at the endurance shown by both Native giants". On 16 September 1932, Robin's match against Abe Kaplin went to a time limit draw and was called by The Evening Post as "one of the best wrestling matches seen at Hastings".

The following year he wrestled American wrestler Harry Mamos in Napier on 28 June 1933, which ended in a draw. Throughout the 1933 season, he challenged George Walker for the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship and was considered a top contender for the title, along with Harry Mamos and Rumberg, by the end of the year. He and Billy Meeske were reportedly in line to challenge George Walker for the NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship during the summer of 1935.

The 49-year-old Robin, however, was now nearing middle age and in the midst of a changing business decided to retire. His nephew, Keita Meretana, also became a noted amateur and professional wrestler during the 1950s.

As an elder of the Ngāti Kahungunu, he frequently appeared as an orator at tribal ceremonial events throughout his life, even when afflicted by severe rheumatism and arthritis in his old age. National Wrestling Association NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship (2 times)