Māui Pōmare

Sir Māui Wiremu Piti Naera Pōmare was a New Zealand medical doctor and politician, being counted among the more prominent Māori political figures. He is particularly known for his efforts to improve Māori health and living conditions. His career was not without controversy: he negotiated the effective removal of the last of Taranaki Māori land from its native inhabitants – some 18,000 acres – in a move that has been described as the "final disaster" for his people. He was a member of the Ngāti Mutunga iwi, which was originally from North Taranaki, migrated to Wellington, and then invaded and settled the Chatham Islands in 1835.