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'{{short description|New Zealand politician, doctor and health reformer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2014}} {{Infobox officeholder |honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]] |name = Sir Māui Pōmare |honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|KBE|CMG|size=100%}} |image = Maui Pomare.jpg |caption = |order1 = 9th [[Minister of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)|Minister of Internal Affairs]] |primeminister1 = [[Gordon Coates]] |term_start1 = 25 August 1927 |term_end1 = 10 December 1928 |predecessor1 = [[James Parr (politician)|James Parr]] |successor1 = [[Alexander Young (New Zealand politician)|Alexander Young]] |order2 = 3rd [[Minister of Statistics (New Zealand)|Minister of Statistics]] |primeminister2 = [[Gordon Coates]] |term_start2 = 25 August 1927 |term_end2 = 10 December 1928 |predecessor2 = [[Richard Bollard]] |successor2 = [[Philip De La Perrelle]] |order3 = 8th [[Minister of Health (New Zealand)|Minister of Health]] |primeminister3 = [[William Massey]]<br>[[Francis Bell (New Zealand politician)|Francis Bell]]<br>[[Gordon Coates]] |term_start3 = {{start date|df=yes|1923|6|7}} |term_end3 = {{end date|df=yes|1926|1|18}} |predecessor3 = [[James Parr (politician)|James Parr]] |successor3 = [[Alexander Young (New Zealand politician)|Alexander Young]] |order4 = [[Minister without portfolio#New Zealand|Minister without portfolio]] |primeminister4 = [[William Massey]] |term_start4 = 10 July 1912 |term_end4 = 3 May 1916 |constituency_MP5 = [[Western Maori]] |parliament5 = New Zealand |term_start5 = 7 December 1911 |term_end5 = 27 June 1930 |predecessor5 = [[Henare Kaihau]] |successor5 = [[Taite Te Tomo]] |birth_date = 1875 or 1876 |birth_place = [[Urenui]], New Zealand |death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1930|6|27|1876|1|13}} |death_place = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], United States |restingplace = |restingplacecoordinates = |birthname = |party = [[Reform Party (New Zealand)|Reform]] |otherparty = <!--For additional political affiliations--> |spouse = |partner = <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married--> |relations = |children = |alma_mater = |occupation = |profession = |religion = |signature = |website = |footnotes = |blank1 = Father |data1 = [[Wiremu Naera Pōmare]] |blank2 = Mother |data2 = Mere Hautonga Nicoll |blank3 = Grandmother |data3 = [[Kahe Te Rau-o-te-rangi]] }} '''Sir Māui Wiremu Pita Naera Pōmare''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|KBE|CMG|size=85%}} (1875 or 1876 – 27 June 1930) was a New Zealand medical doctor and politician, being counted among the more prominent [[Māori people|Māori]] political figures. He is particularly known for his efforts to improve Māori health and living conditions. However, Pōmare's career was not without controversy: he negotiated the effective removal of the last of Taranaki Māori land from its native inhabitants – some 18,000 acres – in a move which has been described as the "final disaster" for his people.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Scott|first1=Dick|title=Ask That Mountain|date=1975|publisher=Heinemann Publishers NZ LTD|location=Auckland|page=196}}</ref> He was a member of the [[Ngati Mutunga]] iwi originally from North Taranaki; he later lived in Wellington and the [[Chatham Islands]] after the 1835 invasion.<ref>''Penguin History of NZ''. [[Michael King (historian)|Michael King]].Penguin 2003.</ref> ==Early life== The date of Pōmare's birth is unclear—school records give 24 August 1875 but other sources give 13 January 1876. He was born at a [[pā]] near [[Urenui]] in [[Taranaki]]. His father, [[Wiremu Naera Pōmare]], was of [[Ngāti Mutunga]] descent and his mother, Mere Hautonga Nicoll, was of [[Ngāti Toa]] descent. His maternal grandmother, [[Kahe Te Rau-o-te-rangi]], had been a signatory of the [[Treaty of Waitangi]]. Both of his parents died before he reached adulthood, leaving him in the guardianship of his aunt. Pōmare was the boy injured at [[Parihaka]] when a horse trod on his foot.<ref>Maori Claims and reinvented history. V. O'Malley. AK University Press, 2005.</ref> ==Education== [[File:MauiPomare1899.jpg|thumb|left|Pomare in 1899]] Pōmare attended [[Christchurch Boys' High School]] and then [[Te Aute College]]. Although his family wanted him to study law Pōmare decided to become a doctor and, in 1895, he began study at a [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]] medical college at [[Battle Creek, Michigan|Battle Creek]] in the US state of [[Michigan]]. He remained in the United States until 1900 and travelled extensively. ==Department of Health== At the time of Pōmare's return to New Zealand there was considerable concern about public health, with the quality of housing and sanitation being a major political issue. The problem was particularly pressing in Māori communities and Pōmare, as one of a small number of trained Māori doctors, was selected to serve as Māori Health Officer in the Department of Health. In this role he undertook a number of major campaigns to improve Māori health and met with considerable success. Pōmare was highly active in the everyday work of his office, often walking to remote villages to give public speeches. His frequent lectures on health matters gave him considerable skill in oratory. In contrast to some of his friends, notably [[Āpirana Ngata]], Pōmare was not particularly concerned about the loss of Māori cultural identity, and sponsored the [[Tohunga Suppression Act 1907|Tohunga Suppression Act of 1907]] which led to loss of many oral traditions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/rongoa-medicinal-use-of-plants/page-5|title=5. – Rongoā – medicinal use of plants – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand|first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu|last=Taonga|website=teara.govt.nz|access-date=5 December 2019}}</ref> While Pōmare and Ngata agreed on the need to modernise Māori living conditions, Pōmare did not share Ngata's drive to preserve and protect traditional Māori culture and arts—instead Pōmare believed that, eventually, [[Pākehā]] and Māori would merge to form a single culture incorporating the best aspects of both (a common ideal of his [[iwi]]). ==Member of Parliament== {{NZ parlbox header |nolist=true |align=left }} {{NZ parlbox |term=18th |start=[[1911 New Zealand general election|1911]] |end=1914 |party=Independent politician |electorate=[[Western Maori]] }} {{NZ parlbox |term=19th |start=[[1914 New Zealand general election|1914]] |end=1919 |party=Reform Party (New Zealand) |electorate=Western Maori }} {{NZ parlbox |term=20th |start=[[1919 New Zealand general election|1919]] |end=1922 |party=Reform Party (New Zealand) |electorate=Western Maori }} {{NZ parlbox |term=21st |start=[[1922 New Zealand general election|1922]] |end=1925 |party=Reform Party (New Zealand) |electorate=Western Maori }} {{NZ parlbox |term=22nd |start=[[1925 New Zealand general election|1925]] |end=1928 |party=Reform Party (New Zealand) |electorate=Western Maori }} {{NZ parlbox |term=23rd |start=[[1928 New Zealand general election|1928]] |end=1930 |party=Reform Party (New Zealand) |electorate=Western Maori }} {{NZ parlbox footer}} In the [[1911 New Zealand general election|1911 election]], Pōmare stood for the [[New Zealand House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] as an [[Independent politician|Independent]] in the [[Western Maori]] electorate{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=227}} that covered the western part of the [[North Island]] from [[Wellington]] to just south of [[Auckland]], plus the east coast from [[Tauranga]] north.{{sfn|McRobie |1989 |p=132}} Aided by support from the "[[Māori King Movement|Māori King]]", [[Mahuta Tāwhiao]], he was successful, displacing the incumbent [[Henare Kaihau]]. He was aligned with the new [[Reform Party (New Zealand)|Reform Party]] that had won the largest number of seats. When the party formed a government, Pōmare was appointed in July 1912 to [[Cabinet of New Zealand|Cabinet]] as a [[minister without portfolio]],{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=76}} a largely symbolic position. Pōmare was quite popular with his party—in part this is likely because he did not promote an independent Māori cultural identity and that fitted well with the Reform Party's generally conservative views. (Meanwhile, Pōmare's old friend, [[Āpirana Ngata]], was serving as an MP for the opposition [[New Zealand Liberal Party|Liberal Party]].) ==Taranaki land negotiation== In 1881 the crown had set aside 187,000 acres for Taranaki Māori "absolutely and for all time", by 1911 only 18,000 acres remained and it was being leased to settlers on the behalf of Māori, although in an act of defiance of land confiscation, local Māori never claimed the rent.<ref name="Ask That Mountain">{{cite book|last1=Scott|first1=Dick|title=Ask That Mountain|date=1975|publisher=Heinemann Publishers NZ Ltd|location=Auckland|page=196}}</ref> Both Waikato and Taranaki elected Māui Pōmare as the member for Western Maori to ensure this 18,000 acres would not become freehold settler property in perpetuity.<ref name="Ask That Mountain"/> In 1913 Pōmare attempted to appease both his people and pākehā settlers by extending the lease settlers currently had for a further 10 years after which it would revert to Māori ownership – provided they pay compensation to settlers for appreciation in value.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book|last1=Scott|first1=Dick|title=Ask That Mountain|date=1975|publisher=Heinemann Publishers NZ Ltd|location=Auckland|page=197}}</ref> In 1923 Māori reclaimed their 18,000 acres but Pōmare had converted the land from leasehold to freehold, something his people were woefully unprepared to deal with.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Overwhelmed by a system they didn't understand the Māori sold back to the Pākeha settlers who now had this last 18,000 acres in perpetuity.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Late in the first World War Pōmare went to Waahi Pa to fill a conscription quota for Taranaki Māori, on arrival he was greeted in this manner: "He was met at the station by a hostile crowd and escorted to the riverside, where he was a spectator of an event never before recorded in European times. When the old-time Māori wished to demonstrate their most extreme measure of contempt for any person they danced a haka standing naked and waist-high in a river and at appropriate times in the dance turned their posteriors towards the unwelcome visitor. There were no greater depths of ignominy in the Maori repertoire of insults – it was the absolute in loathing and contumely. Such was the spectacle confronting the Member for Western Maori..."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cody|first1=J F|title=Man of Two Worlds – Sir Maui Pomare|date=1956|publisher=A.H. & A.W. Reed|pages=122–23}}</ref> ==World War I== During World War I Pōmare and Ngata joined forces to encourage Māori to join the armed forces. Pōmare and Ngata both believed that by participating strongly in the war and fighting to defend the country, Māori would demonstrate to Pākehā that they were full citizens. Pōmare angered many of his constituents, however, by extending conscription to Māori under the Military Service Act.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Scott|first1=Dick|title=Ask That Mountain|date=1975|publisher=Heinemann Publishers NZ Ltd|location=Auckland|page=198}}</ref> ==Ministerial career== In April 1916, Pōmare was given ministerial responsibility for the [[Cook Islands]], then a New Zealand territory.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=76}} He lobbied strongly for more funding to be given to the islands and was responsible for considerable infrastructural improvement. He opposed, however, the idea of self-governance for the islands, saying that they were not yet ready for it. On a number of occasions he overrode laws passed by the islands' own council, causing a certain amount of complaint. On the whole, however, he was well regarded in the Cook Islands, being presented with a silver cup at the end of his service. Later, in May 1925, Pōmare was appointed [[Minister of Health (New Zealand)|Minister of Health]], his highest office.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=78}} Due to economic problems the Health Department's budget was low, making it difficult for Pōmare to effect any important reforms. Nevertheless, he managed to make gains in some areas, particularly maternity care and equipment sterilisation. Pōmare was appointed Companion of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] (CMG) in the [[1920 New Year Honours (New Zealand)|1920 New Year Honours]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31712 |date=1 January 1920 |page=4 |supp=4}}</ref> and Knight Commander of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (KBE) in the [[1922 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)|1922 King's Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32716 |date=3 June 1922 |page=4324 |supp=y}}</ref> ==Later life== [[File:Maui_and_Miria_Pomare_passport_application_(1930).jpg|thumb|Maui and Miria Pōmare passport application (1930)]] In 1928 Pōmare contracted [[tuberculosis]]. In the [[1928 New Zealand general election|1928 election]] [[Āpirana Ngata]] conducted Pōmare's campaign on his behalf, despite belonging to the opposition party. Pōmare was re-elected. Later Pōmare travelled to California in the hope that the climate would be good for his health. He died in San Francisco on 27 June 1930.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Obituary, Sir Maui Pomare |journal=Journal of Polynesian Society |date=September 1930 |volume=39 |issue=155 |page=286 |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref> ==Legacy== Māui Pōmare day (Te Ra o Māui Pōmare) is celebrated every year at Owae Marae in [[Waitara, New Zealand|Waitara]], [[Taranaki]] on the Saturday closest to the anniversary of his death. The day recognises his work in health reforms, politics and especially his investigation of Māori land confiscations.<ref name=MauiPomareDay>{{cite news |title=Sir Maui Pomare 'second to none'|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/7202693/Sir-Maui-Pomare-second-to-none |work=Taranaki Daily News |access-date=18 May 2015}}</ref> Māui Pōmare day is also of significance to [[Samoa]]. In 1927 Pōmare spoke out in Parliament speeches against New Zealand's methods in dealing with Samoa's resistance movement, and this was recognised at the 2013 Māui Pōmare day.<ref name=SignifSamoa>{{cite news |title=We're reminded: The Mau of Maui Pomare and Ta'isi |url=http://www.samoaobserver.ws/samoans-abroad/5832-were-reminded-the-mau-of-maui-pomare-and-taisi |work=Samoa Observer Ltd |access-date=18 May 2015}}</ref> In celebrating 150 years of ''[[The New Zealand Herald]]'', the newspaper named him New Zealander of the year for 1926, for his work on Māori land grievances. ''The Herald'' gave him the same award again for 1927, for his work as Health Minister that led to fewer deaths of women at childbirth.<ref name=Herald150thGreatNZers>{{cite news |title=Greatest New Zealanders – 1913–1962 |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/150-timeline-11/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=1503552 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=18 May 2015}}</ref> ==Notes== {{Reflist}} ==References== *{{cite book |title=Electoral Atlas of New Zealand |last=McRobie |first=Alan |year=1989 |publisher=GP Books |location=Wellington |isbn=0-477-01384-8}} *{{cite book |last= Wilson |first= James Oakley |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year=First published in 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher= V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc= 154283103}} ==Further reading== {{Refbegin}} *{{Citation |first = Robert Ritchie|last = Alexander |title = POMARE, Sir Maui Wiremu Pita Naera, K.B.E., C.M.G., M.D.|encyclopedia=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock|year=1966 |url = http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/pomare-sir-maui-wiremu-pita-naera-kbe-cmg-md |access-date =19 March 2014}} *{{DNZB |first = Graham |last = Butterworth |id = 3p30 |title = Pomare, Maui Wiremu Piti Naera 1875/1876? – 1930 |accessdate =23 April 2008}} *{{Citation |first = Joseph F. |last = Cody |title = Man of two worlds: Sir Maui Pomare |place = Wellington, [N.Z.] |publisher=A.H. & A.W. Reed |year = 1953}} *{{Citation |first = Alan |last = Duff |title = Alan Duff's Māori heroes |place = Auckland, [N.Z.] |publisher=Random House New Zealand |year = 2000 |isbn = 1-86941-425-X}} (This is a book intended for children.) *{{Citation |first = Maui |last = Pomare |title = Etahi kupu mo te ora |place = Poneke [Wellington], [N.Z.] |publisher=Hone Makae |year = 1908}} *{{Citation |first = Maui |last = Pomare |title = Nga kohungahunga me nga kai ma ratou |place = Turanga [Gisborne], [N.Z.] |publisher=Na te Wiremu Hapata i ta, ki te Perehi ki Te Rau |year = 1909}} *{{Citation |first = Maui |last = Pomare |title = Ko nga tamaririki ''[sic]'' me nga kai ma ratou / na Maui Pomare ; he mea tapiri mai ki o a nga Neehi [i.e. Nehi] o nga Takiwa Maori ; Tari mo te Ora, Poneke = Infants and their foods; with additions by district nurses for Maoris |place = Wellington, [N.Z.] |publisher=Govt. Printer |year = 1916}} *{{Citation |first1 = Maui |last1 = Pomare |first2 = James |last2 = Cowan |title = Legends of the Maori |place = Wellington, [N.Z.] |publisher=Fine Arts ; Harry H. Tombs |year = 1930–1934}} (This two-volume work was reprinted by ''Southern Reprints (of Auckland)'' in 1987; and in a two volumes-in-one edition by Kiwi Publishers (of Christchurch) in 2000: {{ISBN|1-869-64372-0}}) {{Refend}} ==External links== {{commons category}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20030720073703/http://www.pukeariki.com/en/stories/scienceandmedicine/mauipomare.asp Puke Ariki] {{S-start}} {{S-par|nz}} {{S-bef|before=[[Henare Kaihau]]}} {{S-ttl|title=[[Western Maori|Member of Parliament for Western Maori]]|years=1911–1930}} {{S-aft|after=[[Taite Te Tomo]]}} {{S-off}} {{S-bef|before=[[James Parr (politician)|James Parr]]}} {{S-ttl|title=[[Minister of Health (New Zealand)|Minister of Health]]|years=1923–1926}} {{S-aft|after=[[Alexander Young (New Zealand politician)|Alexander Young]]}} {{S-bef|before=[[Richard Bollard]]|rows=2}} {{S-ttl|title=[[Minister of Statistics (New Zealand)|Minister of Statistics]]|years=1927–1928}} {{S-aft|after=[[Philip De La Perrelle]]|rows=2}} {{S-ttl|title=[[Minister of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)|Minister of Internal Affairs]]|years=1927–1928}} {{end}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Pomare, Maui}} [[Category:1870s births]] [[Category:1930 deaths]] [[Category:New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]] [[Category:New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand]] [[Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives]] [[Category:Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs]] [[Category:Independent MPs of New Zealand]] [[Category:People from Taranaki]] [[Category:20th-century deaths from tuberculosis]] [[Category:New Zealand MPs for Māori electorates]] [[Category:New Zealand people of World War I]] [[Category:People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School]] [[Category:People educated at Te Aute College]] [[Category:New Zealand Māori medical doctors]] [[Category:20th-century New Zealand medical doctors]] [[Category:Tuberculosis deaths in California]] [[Category:New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods]] [[Category:Ngāti Mutunga people]] [[Category:Ngāti Toa people]]'