Apirana Tuahae Kaukapakapa Mahuika (1 May 1934 – 9 February 2015) was a New Zealand Māori tribal leader. He was chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou from its establishment in 1987 until his death in 2015.
Mahuika chaired the working party that led to the formation of the Ngāti Porou iwi authority, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou, and he was elected its inaugural chair. He held that post for over 27 years, until his death, and led the iwi through the Treaty of Waitangi settlement process with the Crown.[2]
Before his death, Mahuika was a contributing member as a kaumātua to the Matiki Mai Aotearoa Working Group developing Māori-led constitutional thinking for New Zealand.[7] He died in Gisborne in 2015.[1]
References
^ abSmallman, Elton; Wilson, Libby (14 February 2015). "Loss of Ngati Porou champion keenly felt". The Dominion Post. p. 3.