Hone Tawhai

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1879–1881	7th	Northern Maori		Independent
1881–1884	8th	Northern Maori		Independent

Hone Mohi Tawhai (c1834 – July 1894) was a 19th-century Māori member of the New Zealand parliament.

Hone Mohi Tawhai was born in the Hokianga in 1827 or 1828. He was about 12 years old when his father signed the Treaty of Waitangi in February 1840.

In the 1860s he was involved in a district runanga (tribal council) set up by Governor Grey. Later he was made a Native Land Court assessor. By the mid-1870s he became disillusioned with the Native Land Court and began to call for Maori control over land title and land alienation.^[1]

He represented the Northern Maori electorate from 1879 when he defeated Hori Tawhiti, to 1884 when he retired.^[2] He debated effectively on a number of race relations issues. In 1881 and 1882 he promoted a Native Committees Bill to limit the power of the Native Land Court, and give Maori control of awarding land titles.

Tawhai died in July 1894.

References

1. "Hone Mohi Tawahi". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage, update 8-June 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
2. Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840-1984 (4 ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.