Hūria Mātenga

Hūria Mātenga (c. 1842 – 24 April 1909, also known as Julia Martin) was a New Zealand tribal leader and landowner. Of Māori descent, she identified with the Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Toa and Te Āti Awa iwi. She was born in Whakapuaka, Nelson, New Zealand in about 1842.[1]

Hūria Mātenga (Julia Martin)

Mātenga was the daughter of Wikitōria Te Amohau Te Keha (Ngāti Te Whiti) and Wīremu Kātane Te Pūoho. She inherited land rights from them to over 17,000 acres of land around Whakapuaka.[2]

Mātenga entered an arranged marrage with Hēmi Mātenga Wai-Punahau (also known as James Martin) in 1858.[2]

She became known as "the Grace Darling of New Zealand" after her heroics in the rescuing of the crew of the brigantine Delaware, which struck rocks during a gale close to Pepin Island in 1863.[3][4] Mātenga, along with her husband and the three other men who jumped into the sea to help rescue the crew were given rewards from the citizens of Nelson for their bravery. Mātenga was gifted a gold watch inscribed in English and te reo Māori, and ₤50, and the men were awarded silver watches and ₤10.[2]

Mātenga was also a weaver and two of her woven items are in the collection at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand.[5]

References
  1. Ormsby, Mary Louise. "Huria Matenga". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  2. Regnault, Claire (2021). Dressed : fashionable dress in Aotearoa New Zealand 1840 to 1910. Wellington, New Zealand: Te Papa Press. pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-0-9941460-6-9. OCLC 1245592939.
  3. "Matenga, Huria (1840?-1909)", natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  4. "The wreck of the Delaware", nzhistory.govt.nz. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  5. "Loading... | Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 2 January 2021.


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