Mete Paetahi

Mete Paetahi
Formal seated portrait photograph of Mete Paetahi, one of the first four Māori MPs, wearing a uniform and holding a patu.
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Western Maori
In office 1868 – 1870
Personal details
Born	ca. 1813 New Zealand
Died	22 September 1883 Putiki, Wanganui New Zealand
Profession	Māori chief, politician

Mete Kīngi te Rangi Paetahi (ca. 1813 – 22 September 1883) was a Member of Parliament in New Zealand. He was one of four Māori elected in the first Māori elections of 1868 for the new Māori electorates in the House of Representatives.

Private life

Paetahi was the chief of the Ngāti Poutama hapu of the Wanganui Region.^[1]

Political career

At the nomination meeting in Wanganui, held at the Courthouse, Mete Paetahi was the only candidate proposed.^[2] He was thus elected unopposed.^[3] He held a salaried office of Assessor from the Crown, hence a special act, The Mete Kingi Paetahi Election Act, 1868 had to be passed to validate his election.

He represented the electorate of Western Maori from 1868 to 1870. He contested the electorate again at the 1871 general election, but was defeated by Wiremu Parata. Of the three candidates, he came last.^[4]

Notes

References

• A. H. McLintock, ed. (updated 22-Apr-09). "PAETAHI, Mete-Kingi". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga. Retrieved 1 September 2010.  Check date values in: |year=, |date=, |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• Scholefield, Guy (1925) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record (2n ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer. 
• Wilson, John (9 November 2003), The Origins of the Māori Seats (PDF) (updated May 2009 ed.), Wellington: Parliamentary Library, retrieved 27 August 2010