Born probably in the 1760s, Te Rauparaha's conquests eventually extended Ngāti Toa authority from Miria-te-kakara at Rangitikei to Wellington, and across Cook Strait to Wairau and Nelson.

An early signatory to the Treaty of Waitangi, Te Rauparaha was later central to the Wairau Affray in the Marlborough district, considered by many to be the first of the conflicts in the New Zealand Wars.

Te Rauparaha transformed Ngāti Toa from a small tribe to one of the richest and most powerful in New Zealand, changing Māori tribal structures permanently.

Crossing in a flotilla of war canoes under cover of darkness, they were met as they disembarked by a force of Ngāti Toa fighters led or reinforced by Te Rauparaha.

[6] Following the Battle of Waiorua, Te Rauparaha began a series of almost annual campaigns into the South Island with the object in part of seizing the sources of the valuable mineral greenstone.

Some Māori women married Pākehā whalers and a lucrative two-way trade of supplies for muskets was established, thereby increasing Te Rauparaha's mana and military strength.

Te Rauparaha then hired the brig Elizabeth, captained by John Stewart, to transport himself and approximately 100 warriors to Akaroa Harbour with the aim of attacking the local tribe, Ngāi Tahu.

[8] Hidden below deck Te Rauparaha and his men captured the Ngāi Tahu chieftain Tamaiharanui, his wife and daughter when they boarded the brig at Stewart's invitation.

A whaling captain John William Dundas Blenkinsop created a fraudulent deed of purchase for the Wairau Valley that was signed in October 1832 by proxy for Te Rauparaha by his brother Mahurenga.

The subsequent government enquiry exonerated Te Rauparaha, which angered settlers, who began a campaign to have the governor Robert FitzRoy recalled.

[1] His son, Tāmihana, was studying Christianity in Auckland and Te Rauparaha gave him a solemn message that their iwi should not take utu against the government.

In Ōtaki after his release from captivity, Te Rauparaha provided the materials and labour at his pā for the construction of Rangiātea Church, which was completed in 1851.

[1] Te Rauparaha composed "Ka Mate" while hiding on Motuopihi Island in Lake Rotoaira as a celebration of life over death after his lucky escape from pursuing enemies.

[1] Tāmihana wrote biography of Te Rauparaha between 1866 and 1869 that was held in the Sir George Grey Special Collections at Auckland Libraries.