- Tiaki Omana
Infobox Person|
name=Tiaki Omana
caption=
birth_date=18 December 1891
birth_place=Mahia Peninsula , New Zealand
death_date=24 June 1970
death_place=Napier, New ZealandTiaki Omana (
18 December 1891 —24 June 1970 ), also known as John or Jack Ormond is a formerNew Zealand politician who captured theRatana Movement's fourthMaori seat of Eastern Maori in 1943 fromApirana Ngata who had held it since 1905. He was ofNgati Kahungunu descent and was also a grandson ofJohn Davies Ormond , first Superintendent ofHawke's Bay .Early life
A keen rugby player, Tiaki Omana played Ranfurly Shield matches for his province and once for the
All Blacks in 1923 against a team from New South Wales. Even after joining theNew Zealand Maori (Pioneer) Battalion and fighting in France during World War One, he was still able to play on the wing for the Pioneer Battalion team.Omana was a sheepfarmer on the isolated Mahia Peninsula before becoming a Member of Parliament.
Political career
A
koata of the 'second cut', Omana first contested the "Tairawhiti" seat of Eastern Maori in 1928, finally winning the seat in 1943. As a Ratana/Labour member, he raised the issue of land claims, housing and health for Maori, and discrimination in social security. Omana held the seat until his retirement in 1963, when he returned to farming and to his original Church of England faith.Ratana name
Tiaki Omana was also referred to as "Hamuera" after Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana's son Hamuera Ratana, symbol of the end of tohunga witchcraft.
References
* Henderson, James Mcleod (1963). "Ratana The Man, The Church, The Movement" (1st ed.) A.H & A.W. Reed Ltd ISBN 0-589-00619-3.
External links
*
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
