Te Pēhi Kupe

Te Pēhi Kupe. A watercolor portrait by John Sylvester. . National Library of Australia

Te Pēhi Kupe (–1828) was a Māori rangatira and war leader of Ngāti Toa. He took a leading part in the Musket Wars.

Born at Kāwhia, Te Pēhi Kupe was the elder son of Toitoi, son of Pikauterangi, and in the senior line of descent from Toarangatira, after whom Ngāti Toa is named. Te Pēhi's mother was Waipunāhau of Ngāti Mutunga in northern Taranaki. In his portrait painted in the mid-1820s he looks about 30, so it is estimated that he was born around 1795.

In 1819 he and other Ngāti Toa joined northern tribes on a war expedition that raided as far south as Wellington Harbour. After the Ngāti Toa party's return to Kāwhia, their region was attacked by Waikato and Ngāti Maniapoto. Ngāti Toa were defeated and migrated to Taranaki. From there they migrated to Horowhenua in 1822. Te Pēhi led the force that captured Kapiti Island from Muaūpoko and Ngāti Apa. When Ngāti Apa made a surprise attack on Ngāti Toa at Waikanae, four children of Te Pēhi were among the 60 of them killed, leaving Te Pēhi wanting revenge. where he was presented to George IV, learned to ride, recorded his moko and had his portrait painted. He was given presents, which he sold in Sydney on his return journey to purchase muskets and ammunition. By then his fellow Ngāti Toa chiefs Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata had made peace with Ngāti Apa, but Te Pēhi attacked and plundered a Ngāti Apa pā anyway. and were already aware of the attacks on their people at Kaikōura. Several Ngāti Toa chiefs entered the pā to trade. Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Toa accounts of what happened differ, but the outcome was that Ngāi Tahu killed Te Pēhi, Pōkaitara and Te Aratangata in the pā. and the three-month successful siege of Kaiapoi and sacking of Ōnawe the next year.