Hohepa (Joe Pop) Wi Neera
Hohepa (Joe Pop) Wi Neera was born on 14 September 1871. He was the eldest son of Wi Neera Te Kanae and Harata Cootes. Hohepa was widely acknowledged throughout Aotearoa as Ngāti Toa’s Paramount Chief.
Hohepa married Takuna Horomona, who was the daughter of Horomona Nohorua and Riria Te Kahurangi. They had one child together named Matoe (Dodi) Wi Neera. (*Information gathered from whānau in 2022 confirms that they had a second child, younger sibling to Matoe, named Matengaro who died as a young child of a short illness).
Takuna had two children prior to marrying Hohepa, Pekahou Parata and Teiringa Horomona.
Hohepa was a top wool classer, very fit and worked closely with Ringi (Joe) Solomon who ran a shearing gang. Hohepa classed wool for a company in Wellington called Dalgety’s. Nephew, Mahurenga Wi Neera recalls from an early age Hohepa explaning to him the correct way to shear a sheep to get the best value for money. This ofcourse was an invaluable lesson to a sheep farmer.
His trademark’s were his bowler hat and his tokotoko. Hohepa gifted the Ngāti Toa name to Ngāti Toa Primary School over 50 years ago (* now approximately 67 years ago). A carving was erected at the school in recognition of Hohepa that displays his trade mark tokotoko.
In his later years, Hohepa remarried Waepiti Martin (Matenga). Waepiti was a midwife and it was through this role that they came to whāngai Te Kiikakura Jensen Parata (great, great, grandson of Te Kākākura Wi Parata).
Jensen can recall living next to the harbour in an old house where Te Puna Ora now stands. The house had a clean dirt floor and the walls were lined with newspaper and old sacking. During the evenings, Hohepa and Jensen would go out on the harbour with their lanterns to catch flounder. They later moved to the top of Puaha Street with Waepiti’s whānau.
Hohepa would attend many hui as the spokesperson for Ngāti Toa and was known throughout the motū as a great orator. Many would travel to his home and wānanga all night into the early hours of the morning. It was widely agreed that when Hohepa spoke people would sit and listen to him for hours. It would not be uncommon for him to speak to groups for up to 3 hours at a time. All with the full attention of his audience.
As well as a great orator, Hohepa, along with Jim Toi (Toitoi Te Hiko) held great knowledge of Ngāti Toa whakapapa. Henare Tuwhangai from Tainui would often come to see Hohepa and Jim to compare their whakapapa with his.
Hohepa would coordinate the distribution of kai between whānau in Taranaki and Wairau. Through the MacDonald whānau in Wairau, potatoes would be sent to Porirua and be distributed to each whānau and likewise with an exchange of the tuere (blind eel) and piarau (lamprey eel) to Taranaki whānau.
Hohepa loved rugby and his son Matoe was a member of the New Zealand Māori All Blacks. He would also follow his son Jensen around to all of his rugby matches taking a keen interest in his sporting abilities.
Every Saturday, Hohepa would pick up his two mates Alec Wineera and Joe Solomon and they would catch the train to the Paekakariki Pub where they would socialise. The three of them also had a tradition of visiting all the homes of kaumātua at Christmas. Sometimes this would take the whole day but one that they and the kaumātua looked forward to.
In later years when Hohepa become ill, he went to live with his step-daughter Teiringa and her husband Joe Solomon in Nohorua Street, Takapūwāhia. Teiringa and her daughter Takuna (Girlie) nursed Hohepa until he died on 14 September 1960.
Hohepa’s tangi was held at Takapūwāhia Marae and was well attended from representatives from throughout the motū.
Story compiled from interviews with Jensen Parata, Boy Wi Neera, Claire Metekingi and Mahu Wi Neera.