Nuka Taipari

Nuka Taipari belonged to Ngati He, a hapu of Ngai Te Rangi of Tauranga. He was the principal chief of Maungatapu pa in the 1830s and 1840s. He is known mostly from references in missionary journals and in The journal of Ensign Best, but none record the names of his parents. He had a number of wives, one of whom was of Te Arawa, but their names too are not known. Source: https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1t3/taipari-nuka

The Maungatapu peninsula has a greater concentration of Māori street names than any other part of the city. When the first mission station was established in Tauranga both Otumoetai and Maungatapu were prosperous pa with considerable populations. The Otumoetai pa did not survive the opening up of lands to European settlers, lying as it did within the confiscation boundaries. Land at Maungatapu, on the other hand, was not taken from its Māori owners. The pa, now referred to as the Maungatapu marae, is still flourishing today, although the urban sprawl has confined it to the tip of the peninsula, and the peace of the setting is often disrupted by power boats towing water skiers. A famous chief, Nuka Taipari, who was one of the few in the district to sign the Treaty of Waitangi, lived at the pa in the mid 1800s. His sister, Wikitoria, (Victoria) had a son, Hone Taipari McLeod. Both Wikitoria and Taipari are used as street names. Te Mutu is another famous ancestor commemorated in this way. The Heke and Ririnui families also have streets named for them. Source: http://tauranga.kete.net.nz/tauranga_local_history/topics/show/2695...

See also: The Treaty of Waitangi in Tauranga: Te Tiriti o Waitangi ki Tauranga Moana by Debbie McCauley.