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Tama-i-hara-nui

1700 – 1831

Ngai Tahu leader

Traditional leader or chief
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About Tama-i-hara-nui

Lived 1700 – 1831. Tama-i-hara-nui was a New Zealand traditional leader or chief.

Tama-i-hara-nui (17?? – 1830/1831) or Tamaiharanui, also known as Te Maiharanui, was a New Zealand Māori chief of Ngāi Tahu and its Ngāti Rakiāmoa hapū. He was "strong and ruthless" and was a central figure in the 1820s Kai Huānga ("eat relatives") feud within Ngāi Tahu.

Tama-i-hara-nui angered Ngāti Toa in about 1828 by letting a group of their chiefs into Kaiapoi pā and then killing them. Te Rauparaha, one of the Ngāti Toa chiefs who stayed outside of the pā, returned to Canterbury with a war party on board the ship Elizabeth in November 1830. The ship anchored off Takapūneke village in Akaroa Harbour with the war party hidden. Tama-i-hara-nui was enticed on board with his wife and daughter and they were taken prisoner. He was taken to Ōtaki, where the widows of the chiefs who had been killed at Kaiapoi pā tortured him, and he was killed.

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Important facts

Born
1700
Birth century
Died
1831
Occupation
Traditional leader or chief
Nationality
Also known as
Te Maiharanui, Tamaiharanui

People in Tama-i-hara-nui's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Tama-i-hara-nui's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Tama-i-hara-nui?

Ngai Tahu leader

When was Tama-i-hara-nui born?

Tama-i-hara-nui was born in 1700.

When did Tama-i-hara-nui die?

Tama-i-hara-nui died in 1831.

What was Tama-i-hara-nui's occupation?

Tama-i-hara-nui was a traditional leader or chief.

What nationality was Tama-i-hara-nui?

Tama-i-hara-nui was New Zealand.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Tama-i-hara-nui

· Wikidata: Q7680495

· DBpedia: Tama-i-hara-nui

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Tama-i-hara-nui. https://biography.guide/tama-i-hara-nui/

MLA: "Tama-i-hara-nui." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/tama-i-hara-nui/.

Chicago: "Tama-i-hara-nui." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/tama-i-hara-nui/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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