Te Rangi Hiroa

Early life

He was born in Urenui, New Zealand, the only child of William Henry Buck. He was raised by William and his wife Ngarongo-ki-tua, though she was not his biological mother. According to local custom, when the couple found themselves unable to have children, one of Ngarongo's relatives, Rina, became part of the household and produced a child for the couple. Rina died soon after her child was born, and Ngarongo raised Peter as her own. He claimed to have been born in 1880, but it is more likely that an entry in the primary school register pointing to October 1877 is correct.

Te Rangi Hiroa was descended on his Maori (maternal) side from the Taranaki iwi of Ngati Mutunga, whose elders renamed him Te Rangi Hiroa in honour of a notable ancestor. His paternal ancestry was English and Irish. Though he was largely brought up within the Pakeha community, Ngarongo-ki-tua and his great aunt Kapuakore instilled a love of Maori tradition and language in him.

After Ngarongo's death in 1892 he moved with his father to the Wairarapa. In 1896 he started attending Te Aute College, a school that produced many Maori leaders of the time. In 1899 he was named Dux and passed a medical examination, entitling him to attend the University of Otago Medical School. He was later associated with the Young Maori Party.

Medical school and practice

Buck did well at Otago Medical School, where he also excelled in sport, becoming national long jump champion in 1900 and 1903. He completed his MB ChB in 1904, and an MD six years later. During this time, in 1905, he married Irish-born Margaret Wilson. Their long marriage was often fiery, but was strong, and it was Margaret who often gave the impetus to Peter's career.

In November 1905 Buck was appointed as a medical officer to Maori, working under Maui Pomare, initially in the southern North Island, then in the far north. Between them Pomare and Buck campaigned successfully to improve sanitation in the small Maori communities around the country.

Parliament and war

In 1909, Hone Heke Ngapua, Member of Parliament for Northern Maori died suddenly. Buck was singled out by Native Minister James Carroll to be his replacement. Buck accepted and was elected in the subsequent by-election. He became a member of the Native Affairs Committee. He did not seek re-election to the seat in 1914, but stood for the Bay of Islands electorate, where he lost with a narrow margin. By this time, Buck had developed an interest in Pacific Island peoples, working briefly as a medical officer in both the Cook Islands and Niue during parliamentary breaks.

During the First World War, Buck helped in the recruitment of a Maori volunteer contingent. Buck joined this contingent as medical officer, travelling to the Middle East in 1915. He took part at Gallipoli, later being awarded a Distinguished Service Order for his heroism. He later saw action in France and Belgium, before being posted to the No 3 New Zealand General Hospital at Codford, England in 1918.

Returning to New Zealand, Buck was appointed as Chief Maori Medical Officer, and in 1921 was named director of the Maori Hygiene Division in the Department of Health.

In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.

Tributes

One of the residential colleges of the University of Otago is named Te Rangi Hiroa College in his honour.

Te Rangi Hiroa Medal

The Te Rangi Hiroa Medal is a social sciences award by the Royal Society of New Zealand. First awarded in 1997 to Dame Joan Metge, it was initially granted annually and from 2001, it has been a biennial award. Award holders are: