ERUERA MAIHI PATUONE

C.1764-1872

As a child, Patuone’s father saw Captain Cook’s vessel and exchanged gifts with the explorer. Patuone himself would distinguish himself as a great warrior, famously killing Tātakahuanui in the Battle of Waituna with a greenstone axe in hand-to-hand combat. Later, he became a noted leader among his people and was interested in the advantages to be gained from trading with European settlers. He experimented with growing wheat and coveted relationships with missionaries coming to the area.