Puti Tipene Watene
Encyclopedia
Puti Tipene Watene (18 August 1910 – 14 June 1967), of Ngāti Maru
and Te Arawa
, was a New Zealand
rugby league
player and politician. He was the first Māori to captain the New Zealand league side and he is the only person to both represent the New Zealand Kiwis and become a Member of Parliament
.
faith, Watene was born in Thames
in 1910. He attended Thames High School
, Opotiki District High School and then the Māori Agriculture College in the Hawkes Bay before he moved to Auckland
where he worked as a labourer and a clerk.
club in the Auckland Rugby League
competition and represented and captained Auckland
, before joining the Manukau
club as a foundation member in 1936. He was the club's captain and played a major role in attracting many other Māori players to the club. As a result Manukau quickly became a force in the Auckland competition, winning both the Fox Memorial and Roope Rooster in their debut year. He also played for the New Zealand Māori rugby league team
, leading them to a famous victory over Australia in 1937.
Watene was first selected for the New Zealand Kiwis while only 19 in 1930 and played for them until 1937. He also captained the New Zealand national rugby league team
in 1936 and 1937, becoming the first Māori to do so.
After retiring he remained involved in rugby league, coaching and selecting representative sides and working as an administrator. In 2008 he was named a New Zealand Rugby League
Legend of League.
he toured the districts on behalf of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union, urging Māori not to work as strike breakers.
In 1953 he was elected to the Mount Wellington Borough Council. He served until 1956, after which Mt Wellington named a street, Watene Road, after him.
He moved to Petone
in 1956, working as a hostel manager and industrial welfare officer, and between 1962 and 1965 he served on the Petone Borough Council.
Watene also served on the New Zealand Māori Council.
, Watene had served on the national executive for six years before being elected as the Member of Parliament for Eastern Maori
in November 1963
, following the retirement of Ratana
MP Tiaki Omana
. As a Mormon, Watene's election broke the Ratana stranglehold on the Māori seats.
He was re-elected in 1966
but in 1967 suffered a heart attack and died in Parliament Buildings during a Maori Affairs Committee meeting.
Ngati Maru
Ngāti Maru is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. There are two iwi known as Ngati Maru, one based in Taranaki, the other based in Thames . These two iwi have a common ancestor in Hotunui who had three sons Marukopiri, Maruwharanui and Marutūāhu...
and Te Arawa
Te Arawa
Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori iwi and hapu based in the Rotorua and Bay of Plenty areas of New Zealand, with a population of around 40,000.The history of the Te Arawa people is inextricably linked to the Arawa canoe...
, was a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player and politician. He was the first Māori to captain the New Zealand league side and he is the only person to both represent the New Zealand Kiwis and become a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
Early years
A strong member of the MormonMormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
faith, Watene was born in Thames
Thames, New Zealand
Thames is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River. The town is the seat of the Thames-Coromandel District Council....
in 1910. He attended Thames High School
Thames High School
Thames High School is a public high school in Thames, Auckland Province, New Zealand. Established in 1880, it is the second oldest secondary school in the Auckland Province.-Curriculum:* Drama* English* ESOL* Health/Physical Education** Food Technology...
, Opotiki District High School and then the Māori Agriculture College in the Hawkes Bay before he moved to Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
where he worked as a labourer and a clerk.
Rugby league
In Auckland Watene joined the City rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
club in the Auckland Rugby League
Auckland Rugby League
The Auckland Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is responsible for rugby league in the region and was the owner of Carlaw Park, once the "spiritual home of rugby league in New Zealand".-History:The Auckland Rugby League was...
competition and represented and captained Auckland
Auckland rugby league team
The Auckland rugby league team is the team which traditionally represents all of the clubs which play in the Auckland Rugby League competition. The Auckland Rugby League team has traditionally been a powerhouse of New Zealand domestic rugby league...
, before joining the Manukau
Manukau Magpies
The Manukau Magpies are a rugby league football club based in Manukau, New Zealand who compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition. The club was established in 1910.-History:...
club as a foundation member in 1936. He was the club's captain and played a major role in attracting many other Māori players to the club. As a result Manukau quickly became a force in the Auckland competition, winning both the Fox Memorial and Roope Rooster in their debut year. He also played for the New Zealand Māori rugby league team
New Zealand Maori rugby league team
-See also:* New Zealand national rugby league team* New Zealand Māori rugby union team* New Zealand Māori cricket team-External links:* Google Books...
, leading them to a famous victory over Australia in 1937.
Watene was first selected for the New Zealand Kiwis while only 19 in 1930 and played for them until 1937. He also captained the New Zealand national rugby league team
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
in 1936 and 1937, becoming the first Māori to do so.
After retiring he remained involved in rugby league, coaching and selecting representative sides and working as an administrator. In 2008 he was named a New Zealand Rugby League
New Zealand Rugby League
The New Zealand Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. The NZRL was founded on the 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year....
Legend of League.
Local Politics
Watene was politically active and during the 1951 waterfront dispute1951 New Zealand waterfront dispute
The 1951 New Zealand waterfront dispute was the largest and most widespread industrial dispute in New Zealand history. During the time, up to twenty thousand workers went on strike in support of waterfront workers protesting financial hardships and working conditions. Thousands more refused to...
he toured the districts on behalf of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union, urging Māori not to work as strike breakers.
In 1953 he was elected to the Mount Wellington Borough Council. He served until 1956, after which Mt Wellington named a street, Watene Road, after him.
He moved to Petone
Petone
Petone is a major suburb of the city of Lower Hutt in New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the narrow triangular plain of the Hutt River, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour...
in 1956, working as a hostel manager and industrial welfare officer, and between 1962 and 1965 he served on the Petone Borough Council.
Watene also served on the New Zealand Māori Council.
Member of Parliament
A member of the New Zealand Labour PartyNew Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
, Watene had served on the national executive for six years before being elected as the Member of Parliament for Eastern Maori
Eastern Maori
Eastern Maori was one of the four original New Zealand parliamentary Māori electorates, from 1868 to 1996.-Population centres:The electorate includes the following population centres:* -Tribal areas:...
in November 1963
New Zealand general election, 1963
The 1963 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 34th term. The results were almost identical to those for the previous election, and the governing National Party remained in office....
, following the retirement of Ratana
Ratana
The Rātana movement is a Māori religion and pan-tribal political movement founded by Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana in early 20th century New Zealand...
MP Tiaki Omana
Tiaki Omana
Tiaki Omana , whose Christian name is John Ormond best known as Jack is a former New Zealand politician who captured the Rātana Movement's fourth Maori seat of Eastern Maori in 1943 from Apirana Ngata who had held it since 1905...
. As a Mormon, Watene's election broke the Ratana stranglehold on the Māori seats.
He was re-elected in 1966
New Zealand general election, 1966
The 1966 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 35th term. It saw the governing National Party win a third consecutive term in office...
but in 1967 suffered a heart attack and died in Parliament Buildings during a Maori Affairs Committee meeting.