[8] He was raised largely under the tutelage of his mother and was schooled in tribal lore and genealogy by Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki iwi elders of the Maraehinahina whare wānanga.

[6] The local Anglican mission also identified Pere as an emerging leader, and he became a member of the first standing committee of the Diocese of Waiapu.

[6] However, despite this, he protested against the exile of Poverty Bay Māori to the Chatham Islands, and strongly opposed the government's attempts to confiscate their land.

[1] In both the 1887 and 1890 elections Pere lost the Eastern Māori seat to James Carroll,[3] who was opposed to the Kotahitanga separatist movement.

When Carroll stood down in 1893 to contest the Gisborne (European) seat,[9] Pere won Eastern Maori back as a member of the Liberal Party.

[3] As a final tribute to Wi Pere, a monument was erected along Reads Quay, Gisborne in 1919 to coincide with the return of Māori troops from war.