Ākenehi Tōmoana
Ākenehi Tōmoana | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ākenehi Patoka c. 1843 |
| Died | 1908 (aged 64–65) |
| Occupation(s) | leader of chiefly status (wāhine rangatira), landowner, suffragist and women's rights activist |
| Spouse | Henare Tomoana (m. 1852) |
| Children | 13, including Paraire Tomoana |
Ākenehi Tōmoana (née Patoka, c. 1843–1908) was a Māori leader of chiefly status (wāhine rangatira), landowner, suffragist and women's rights activist in New Zealand.
Biography
Tōmoana was a prominent New Zealand Māori leader of chiefly status,[1] descended from Ngāti Te Rangiita, Ngāti Turakiwai, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Te Whatuiāpiti and Ngāti Tūwharetoa.[2]
In 1852, Tōmoana married chief Hēnare Tōmoana of Heretaunga (died 1904).[3] It was the second marriage for them both.[4] They 13 children together including their son Paraire Hēnare Tōmoana, who became a sportsman.[2]
When the Native Land Court (now the Māori Land Court) was established in 1865 under the Native Lands Act, Tōmoana represented her land interests. In 1883 her husband said at a Native Land Court hearing that "through the courage of my wife Äkenehi ... lands have been retained."[4]
In 1893, Tōmoana accompanied Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia to present a motion at the Te Kotahitanga Māori parliament.[5][6] They were the first women recorded to address the lower house and called for Māori women to be able to vote and stand for parliamentary seats.[1]
By 1895, Tōmoana became part of a group of high-status women called the "First Wives of Heretaunga", who established the Komiti Wahine Māori.[4][7] At Te Haukē Marae, the group established a forum to discuss women's suffrage, equal rights for women, temperance, and the need to stop selling ancestral land.[8][9]
Tōmoana became ill in 1899 and retired from her campaigning activities.[4] She died in 1908[7] and was buried at Pakipaki, but was later moved to be buried at Waipatu with her husband.[4]
Legacy
In 2020, writing by Tōmoana was set to music for a performance at the Hamilton Fringe Festival.[10]
References
- ^ a b "130 years of Women's Suffrage, the role wāhine Māori played, and today". Te Puni Kōkiri, Ministry of Māori Development (in Māori). 19 September 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Tomoana, Akenihi Patoka, -1908". National Library of New Zealand Te Puna. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ Ballara, Angela (1993). "Tomoana, Hēnare". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Akenehi Tomoana pages in Nga Taumata" (PDF). The Wall Walk NZ. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 May 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
- ^ Rei, Tania (1993). Māori Women and the Vote. Wellington: Huia Publishers. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-908975-04-4.
- ^ Mosse, Kate (13 October 2022). Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries: How Women (Also) Built the World. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-5290-9221-9.
- ^ a b "Ākenehi Tōmoana". New Zealand History, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Manatū Taonga. Archived from the original on 22 July 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ Simpson, Mīria (2003). Ngā Taumata. A Portrait of Ngāti Kahungunu. He Whakaahua o Ngāti Kahungunu 1870 - 1906. Wellington: Huia Publishers and the National Library of New Zealand. pp. 42–44. ISBN 9781869690335.
- ^ "Te Papa & NZ Suffrage 125 - Te ao Māori". Council of Australasian Museum Directors (CAMD). 25 April 2018. Archived from the original on 13 January 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ "Album recorded in Hamilton released to mark Suffrage Day". NZ Herald. 3 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2 July 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.