He Tipua (Paperback, 2nd New edition)

Apirana Turupa Ngata (1874-1943) of Ngati Porou was one of the most important and illustrious New Zealanders of the twentieth century. He was the most influential Maori leader of recent times. He was born into a world in which Maori were in a debilitated state caused by military domination and land alienation. Maori, at the beginning of Ngata's life, were said to be a dying race. Ngata's lifelong mission was to restore the balance. Ngata had great gifts of intelligence, energy and foresight. He was the first Maori to obtain a university degree. He was a Member of Parliament from 1905 to 1943 and a hugely influential Minister of Maori Affairs from 1928 to 1934. In this much-acclaimed first-ever full biography of Apirana Turupa Ngata, Ranginui Walker describes in detail the huge impact Ngata had on the social, cultural, economic and political landscape of New Zealand.