Steedman was born in Taihape, a descendant of Paurini Whatarau, Paramount Chief of Ngāti Pukenga who is buried near the summit of Mauao. Steedmans’ grandmother, Katarina te Atirau (daughter of Paurini Whatarau), was chosen to be a lady in waiting for the Duke and Duchess of York during their visit to Rotorua in 1901. Steedman was educated at Mataroa Primary School and then worked on the family farm at Mataroa. In 1957 he began farming on his mother’s land in Tauranga. In 1959, 1964 and 1968, he was awarded the Ahuwhenua Trophy for best Māori sheep and cattle farmer in New Zealand. It was during these years that Steedman began to research and write about his Māori roots. He has subsequently written and published eight books; he is currently writing his ninth book which incorporates his critique of other historical accounts. He won the Heritage Award in 1997 for his contribution to writing in Tauranga. Steedman writes: "For 40 years now, I have listened, searched for, studied, stumbled on to, had thrown into my lap, pondered over, dreamed about, overheard conversations of, written about and debated with the multitude and have now reached an age of realising that if I don’t express my findings, it will be too late."
Biographical sources
- Phone conversation and correspondence with John Steedman, 15 and 18 August 1998, and 4 November 2004.
- Steedman, J. A. W. Letter to Editor. Tu Tangata 23 (1985): 37.
- Steedman, John Aramete Wairehu. He Toto: Te Ahu Matua a Nga Tupuna. Rotorua, N.Z.: Rotorua Printers, [1992].
Non-fiction
- Nga Tupuna O Rahera-Te-Kahu-Hiapo (The Ancestors of Tahera-Te-Kahu-Hiapo). [Tauranga], N.Z.: [?], 1977.
- A biography of Rahera Te Kahu Hiapo.
- Nga Ohaaki O Nga Whanau O Tauranga Moana: Māori History and Genealogy of the Bay of Plenty. [Tauranga], N.Z.: Publicity Print, [1985]
- Steedman states: ‘This contains Māori history and genealogy of the Bay of Plenty.’
- He Toto: Te Ahu Matua a Nga Tupuna. Rotorua, N.Z.: Rotorua Printers, [1992].
- In this update of Nga Ohaaki O Nga Whanau O Tauranga Moana: Māori History and Genealogy of the Bay of Plenty, Steedman writes that his purpose in writing this book is ‘to give those of Māori descent who are unaware of their heritage, an outline of much that is known by the author in reference to the pre European settlement of Tauranga and surrounding districts.’
- "Te Kahu Hiapo, Rahera. ?-1910." The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography Vol. 2: 1870-1900. Wellington, N.Z.: Bridget Williams Books; Dept. of Internal Affairs, 1993. 516-517.
- A biography of Rahera Te Kahu Hiapo.
- "Pukenga" Where Are All My People?. Tauranga, N.Z.: Publicity Print, [1994].
- Steedman states this book is ‘a history of the tribe of Ngāti Pukenga including extensive whakapapa.’
- A New Concept in Māori History. Vol. 1-5.. Tauranga, N.Z.: Microtech, [1995-1998].
- Steedman writes that these publictions are his ‘versions of corrections to the traditional Māori history.’
Other
- Tu Tangata 23 (1985): 37.
- Gives notice of the completion of his book Nga Ohaaki o nga whanau o Tauranga Moana.