Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui

Who was Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui?

Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui was Māori military commander and noted ally of the government forces during the New Zealand Wars. First known as Te Rangihiwinui, he was later known as Te Keepa, Major Keepa or Major Kemp.

Te Rangihiwinui's father was Mahuera Paki Tanguru-o-te-rangi, a leader of the Muaūpoko iwi. His mother was Rere-o-maki, sister of Te Anaua, a leader of Ngāti Ruaka, a subtribe of Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi. Te Rangihiwinui was probably born in the early 1820s near Opiki in the Horowhenua. His early years were spent under the threat of tribal warfare resulting from the invasion of their tribal land by the Ngati Toa led by Te Rauparaha. Keepa's father was an early supporter of New Zealand Company settlement established at Wanganui and served as a constable in the Armed Police Force.

During the First Taranaki War, Te Keepa made clear his continuing loyalty to the government. In 1864, the Māori tribes on the Upper Wanganui River converted to Hauhauism and threatened to invade Wanganui town. Te Keepa led the tribes of the lower river to defend the town. The result was the Battle of Moutoa Island and a substantial defeat for the Hauhau on 14 May 1864.