Heta Road

Heta Road is named after Heta Te Kauri also known as Heta Ngawairakau, from Puketōtara, Ngāti-te-Whiti hapū and Te Ātiawa iwi.  On his father's side, he belonged to the Tupare Kino hapū, and on his mother's side, Ngāti Rahiri hapū.

As a young child, Heta and his mother were among survivors of a horrific battle which took place at Pukerangiora pā, between north Taranaki and Waikato iwi in 1831.

They and other survivors were taken into slavery and held captive in Kāwhia until their release in 1841 and 1842.

Heta was employed by merchant Richard Brown in the whaling industry at Moturoa.  He lived at Kawau pā (near where Centre City is today) until the outbreak of war in 1860 when he moved to Ani Ropiha's land on Hospital Road (so named because, the early colonial hospital "The Gables" was situated there) which is now part of Mangorei Road. Ani was Heta's wife at the time. 

Heta knew where all the fishing grounds were along the north Taranaki sea coast, and was very knowledgeable about local Māori history. 

Heta passed away at his kāinga on Devon Road, Mangaoraka, in August 1907, aged 77 years, and willed his lands to his last wife Moerangi Whanganui - Mere Taura. In his obituary in the Taranaki Herald from 30 August 1907, W. H. Skinner said: "With Heta Te Kauri passes one of the better type of the Maori race, a type common fifty years ago, but now, alas, rarely seen - a state of affairs for which we Pakehas must take a big share of blame."

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.