Matiu Te Hau was born in Omarumutu and educated at Ōpōtiki Public School and ōpōtiki District High School. Prior to the Second World War, he worked in one of Tipi Ropiha’s survey parties before going on to be part of the first Māori student intake at Auckland Training College. He was invited to attend the first Young Māori Conference at Auckland University in 1939 by Sir Apirana Ngata. In 1940 he enlisted in the 28th Māori Battalion and later that year married Arohanui Kawe of Ngati Maniapoto. After the war he taught at Ruatoki Native School, Orakei School, the Normal Intermediate School in Epsom and completed his B.A. in 1949. In 1953 he began working in university extension Māori adult education with Maharaia Winiata – Te Hau was repsonsible for the Northland region and was tutor-organiser for the Auckland Regional Council of Adult Education. Te Hau and Winiata went on to revive the Young Māori Leaders’ Conferences in 1959 and there was a ripple affect of interest for subsequent conferences all over the North Island. He became a member of the Aotearoa Marae Society and was a member of the New Zealand National Party with long term association and responsibilites with the Northern Māori electorate. He later worked at the University of Auckland and was Chair of the [Waitemata] Tribal Executive for ten years or more. He was Associate Editor for Marae and became a senior Māori administrator in Auckland. He was founding chair of the Orakei Marae Trust Board, and founding chair and delegate of the New Zealand Māori Council. He received an OBE in 1973 for services to Māori in adult education and community affairs
Biographical sources
- Report of Young Māoris Conference, 1939: v.
- Walker, Ranginui J. “Te Hau, Matiu Te Auripo – Biography’, from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 1 Sept. 2010. URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/biographies/5t7/1
- Winiata, Maharaia. “Leadership in the Auckland Māori Community.” Te Ao Hou 27 (1959): 20-27.
Other
- "The Father of All the Dogs." Marae Magazine 1.3 (1974): 43.
- When Maui Tikitiki a Taranga became annoyed with his brother-in-law, Irawaru, during a fishing trip, he drew upon various incantations and turned Irawaru into a dog. Irawaru’s distraught wife, Hinauri, on seeing her husband transformed into a dog, threw herself into the sea.
- "Māori Lessons." Marae 1.2 (1974): 38.
- Te Hau teaches Māori greetings, pronunciation of long vowel sounds and whanau vocabulary.
- "Māori Lessons." Marae 1.3 (1974): 42.
- In this lesson Te Hau teaches on pronunciation noting regional differences and gives a vocabulary list of various foodstuffs.
- "Forum." Marae Inaugural Issue (Sept. 1974): 1.
- "Māori Lesson No. 4." Marae 2.1 (Oct. 1975): 27.
- Te Hau writes about customary greetings in Māori and provides a vocabulary of words dealing with the eating and preparation of kai.
Reviews
- Rev. of Tuwharetoa: The History Of The Māori People Of The Taupo District, by John Grace. Journal of the Polynesian Society 70 (1961): 379-380.
- "Poetry of the Māori" Rev. of Māori Poetry: The Singing Word, by Barry Mitcalfe. Marae Inaugural Issue (Sept. 1974): 13.
- "Plants That Serve Mankind’s Needs." Rev. of Medicines of the Māori, by Christina Macdonald. Marae 1.2 (1974): 35.
- Rev. of Again the Bugles Blow, by R. L. Bacon. Marae 1.2 (1974): 35.
Other
- "Incorporations." Te Ao Hou 30 (1960): 16-17.
- This article, which was included in the ‘data papers’ handed out to members of the 1959 Young Māori Leaders’ Conference, gives a detailed description of Māori incorporations in New Zealand and the provisions and requirements of the Māori Land Act of 1909 through to the Māori Affairs Act of 1953.
- "Ruatoki Re-union: Te Hokowhitu-A-Tu." Te Kaunihera Māori: New Zealand Māori Council Journal 1.3 (1967): 48.
- Te Hau writes a report of the annual general meeting and reunion at Ruatoki of the Hokowhitu-a-Tu Association, which was attended by over 70 Māori veterans of the First World War.
- "An Exercise in Continuing Education." Te Kaunihera Māori: New Zealand Māori Council Journal 1.5 (1967): 69.
- Te Hau reports on the formation of the Whatumanu Club in Hastings in April 1967 which had as one of its goals the promotion of technological education in the region and in light of this facilitated a series of conducted tours of Unilever (New Zealand) Limited, lectures and panel discussions for Māori school leavers.
- "The Magic Conch Shell." Marae Inaugural issue (Sept. 1974): 37.
- A story of how Rangi and Tama where drawn together in marriage with the help of a magic conch shell.
- "The Taniwha Pets of Tamaki and Manukau." Marae Magazine 1.3 (1974): 43.
- The story of Ureia the taniwha, who lived along the waterways of Hauraki, being lured out by Haumea, another taniwha, and eventually killed by Haumea’s people. In Ureia’s struggle for survival sand bars were created in Manukau harbour.
- "Maharaia Winiata." Journal of the Polynesian Society 69.2 (June 1960): 73-75.
- In this tribute to Winiata Te Hau provides Winiata’s whakapapa from the Takitimu and Arawa canoes, and writes of his ‘unabated energy’ in promoting higher education for Māori, harmonious race relations, the retention of the Māori identity, and the concept of ‘one nation with two peoples’.
- Taylor, C. H. R. A Bibliography of Publications on the New Zealand Māori and the Moriori of the Chatham Islands. Oxford: Clarendon; Oxford UP, 1972. 92.