Apirana Ngata - Early Life

Early Life

One of 15 children, Ngata was born in Te Araroa (then called Kawakawa), a small coastal town about 175 kilometres north of Gisborne, New Zealand. His iwi was Ngāti Porou, and his father was considered an expert in traditional lore. Ngata was greatly influenced both by his father and by his great-uncle Ropata Wahawaha (who had led Ngāti Porou forces in the land wars). Ngata was raised in a Māori environment, speaking the Māori language, but his father also ensured that Ngata learned about the Pākehā world, believing that this understanding would be of benefit to Ngāti Porou.

Ngata attended primary school in Waiomatatini before moving on to Te Aute College, where he received a Pākehā-style education. Ngata performed well, and his academic results were enough to win him a scholarship to Canterbury University College (now the University of Canterbury), where he studied political science and law. He gained a BA in politics in 1893, the first Māori to complete a degree at a New Zealand university, then gained an LL.B. at the University of Auckland in 1896 (the first New Zealander, Maori or Pakeha, to gain a double degree).