Wahanui te Huatare, who in his day was the most distinguished and influential chief of the Ngati-Maniapoto tribe, was a commanding figure in the Maori world two generations ago. He was a man who aroused the admiration of pakeha as well as Maori for his splendid presence, his powers of oratory, and his intellectual strength. He was a force with whom one Government after another had to reckon in the efforts made to open the King Country to white settlement. He fought against the British troops in 1863–64, but he was not a warrior by inclination, as Rewi Maniapoto was. He was a statesman of Maoridom, and his great ability was acknowledged by such men as Sir Donald Maclean, Sir George Grey, and Sir Robert Stout, who successively discussed with him the problems of the frontier.

Wahanui Te Huatare, of the Rohepotae, came of a family of giant-like men. The name was descriptive of his grandfather, too, according to the tribal traditions. Wahanui the first was a warrior who wielded mere and spear in many battles in the early part of the nineteenth century. The most famous of these pre-musket battles was Hurimoana, which was fought about the year 1812 in the Upper Waipa district, between the Ngati-Maniapoto and their allies of Ngati-Haua, from Matamata, and the Ngati-Raukawa and Ngati-Whakatere tribes, who held the Wharepuhunga and Maungatautari country. A renowned man among the Ngati-Whakatere was Te Roha, whose prowess with the spear had carried him through many a fray. Hurimoana was his last battle, but it took many men to kill him. Ngati-Maniapoto's champion, Wahanui, and three other chiefs were wounded by him in terrific encounters before he fell. In this melee Wahanui received eight spear wounds from Te Roha and other warriors, but survived. On such family traditions of valour and endurance the grandson was nurtured; he felt that he was no common man, and his attitude, especially to the pakeha, conveyed that impression of superiority over ordinary people.