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Tene Waitere

1853 – 1931

Ngati Tarawhai carver

Artist CarverWood sculptor
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About Tene Waitere

Lived 1853 – 1931 (aged 77–78). Tene Waitere was a New Zealand artist, carver and wood sculptor.

Tene Waitere (c. 1853–1931) was a New Zealand Māori carver from the Rotorua district. He identified with the Ngāti Tarāwhai and Te Arawa iwi. His mother was Ani Pape, the daughter of Te Rāhui, a Ngāti Tarāwhai leader. As a young girl, she was captured by Ngāpuhi during an attack on Rotorua in 1823 and taken as a slave to Northland, where she was forced to marry a Waitere. Tene Waitere was born probably in 1853 or 1854 at Mangamuka. When Tene was a few years old an uncle brought him, his elder sister Mereana Waitere and their mother to Ruatō, on Lake Rotoiti. There he was trained as a carver by Wero Tāroi and Ānaha Te Rāhui. One of Tuhipō's children was Rangitiaria Dennan, better known as Guide Rangi. Eramiha Neke Kapua, another carver, was Waitere's nephew, son of his sister Mereana. Some of Waitere's carvings included Tiki-a-Tamamutu, Hinemihi, the Kearoa whakawae (door jam) and Rauru, and in the 1900s worked on the Whakarewarewa model village near Rotorua.

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Important facts

Born
1853
Birth century
Died
1931
Nationality

People in Tene Waitere's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Tene Waitere's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Tene Waitere?

Ngati Tarawhai carver (1853–1931)

When was Tene Waitere born?

Tene Waitere was born in 1853.

When did Tene Waitere die?

Tene Waitere died in 1931.

What was Tene Waitere's occupation?

Tene Waitere was an artist, carver and wood sculptor.

What nationality was Tene Waitere?

Tene Waitere was New Zealand.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Tene Waitere

· Wikidata: Q7699672

· DBpedia: Tene Waitere

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Tene Waitere. https://biography.guide/tene-waitere/

MLA: "Tene Waitere." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/tene-waitere/.

Chicago: "Tene Waitere." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/tene-waitere/.

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

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