Asher Katherine Tauranga Nz 1901 1939

edmondsallan - Hello - The event was of tremendous interest for all New Zealanders, but was especially important to Maori, particularly those whose loyalty to Queen Victoria and her family had been questioned in the nineteenth century. Thousands of invitations and tickets were issued to Maori to visit Rotorua for the planned Maori welcome.

Te Rongokahira was formally presented to the duchess with her sister-in-law, Irihapeti Parata, and later she sat in front of the royal pavilion with Airini Donnelly of Hawke's Bay and Wikitoria Taitoko of Wanganui. She wore a kiwi feather cloak over her court presentation dress; the duchess wore huia feathers and a valuable cloak Te Rongokahira had given her. She was photographed wearing the cloak, and later sent Te Rongokahira a copy of this portrait. Later in the ceremonies Te Rongokahira, in her role as lady-in-waiting to the duchess for the day, placed around the duchess's neck a greenstone tiki presented by the people of Hawke's Bay, and added another huia feather to her toque.

During the First World War Te Rongokahira again became involved in patriotic work. She was vice president of the Maori Red Cross, raised funds for the Maori soldiers of the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion, and in 1917 was a member of the executive committee of Lady Liverpool's and Miria Pomare's Maori Soldiers' Fund. At a typical meeting that year, the committee decided to pack 100 parcels of food and knitted comforts, as well as mutton birds, for the Rarotongans in Egypt, and 1,000 for Maori in France. The committee also organised street stalls to raise funds for the Red Cross and Red Jersey appeals.

On 8 January 1918 Charles Parata died at Wellington while still in office. His body was taken back to the South Island for burial at Puketeraki. Te Rongokahira was 44 and it is probable that her life became restricted to the family circle; there is little record of any further public activity. On 25 September 1920, at Wellington, she married Leonard Robertshaw, a clerk of European descent. There were no children of this marriage. By 1928 the Robertshaws were living in Petone. Her second husband died in 1934, and her youngest son, Charles, died in November 1938. She continued to live in Petone with her married daughter, Peti Parata-Olsen, and son David, until her death at Wellington Public Hospital on 7 June 1939. She was buried on 10 June at Petone Native Cemetery.

Attractive, elegant and confident, Katherine Te Rongokahira was representative of the intermarried descendants of high-ranking Maori and respected immigrants. Some managed to identify with their Maori kin and earn their trust, while learning cultural traits which made them acceptable to Pakeha. Te Rongokahira was such a woman; she provided a link between Pakeha and Maori worlds just as her marriage to Charles Parata had served as a bridge between the Maori of north and south. Till we meet again - Regards - edmondsallan -

Reference --Angela Ballara. 'Parata, Katherine Te Rongokahira - Biography', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 1-Sep-10
URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/biographies/3p6/1