Hōri Kerei Taiaroa

{{Short description|New Zealand politician (died 1905)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}

{{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2014}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Hōri Kerei Taiaroa

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Hori Taiaroa.jpg

| caption =

| birth_date = 1830s or early 1840s

| birth_place = Ōtākou, New Zealand

| death_date = {{Death date|1905|08|04|df=y}}

| death_place = Wellington, New Zealand

| spouse = Tini Pana (Jane Burns)

| relations = Te Mātenga Taiaroa (father)
John Taiaroa (son)
Dick Taiaroa (son)

| children =

| constituency_MP1 = Southern Maori

| parliament1 = New Zealand

| term_start1 = 1871

| term_end1 = 1879

| predecessor1 = John Patterson

| successor1 = Ihaia Tainui

| constituency_MP2 = Southern Maori

| parliament2 = New Zealand

| term_start2 = 1881

| term_end2 = 1885

| predecessor2 = Ihaia Tainui

| successor2 = Tame Parata

}}

Hōri Kerei Taiaroa (born 1830s or early 1840s – 4 August 1905), also known as Huriwhenua, was a Māori member of the New Zealand parliament and the paramount chief of the southern iwi of Ngāi Tahu. The son of Ngāi Tahu leader Te Mātenga Taiaroa and Mawera Taiaroa, he was born at Ōtākou on the Otago Peninsula in the 1830s or early 1840s.{{DNZB|Evison|Harry C.|2t1|Taiaroa, Hori Kerei|4 August 2014}}

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|term=5th

|start=1871

|end=1875

|party=Independent politician

|electorate=Southern Maori

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|term=6th

|start=1876

|end=1879

|party=Independent politician

|electorate=Southern Maori

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|term=7th

|start=1881

|end=

|party=Independent politician

|electorate=Southern Maori

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|term=8th

|start=1881

|end=1884

|party=Independent politician

|electorate=Southern Maori

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|start=1884

|end=1885

|party=Independent politician

|electorate=Southern Maori

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He represented the Southern Maori electorate from 1871 to February 1879, when he was appointed to the Legislative Council.{{cite book |last= Wilson |first= James Oakley |title= New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840-1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher=V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc= 154283103 }} He was disqualified from the Legislative Council in August 1880 over a technicality, which caused bitterness and resentment among Māori.

When appointed by Sir George Grey, Taiaroa held (and continued to hold) a salaried (government) office, hence was not eligible to sit in the council, despite having attended three sessions.{{cite news |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers?snippet=true&query=Taiaroa+disqualified&start_date=06-08-1880&end_date=06-08-1880 |title= The Legislative Council | work = Timaru Herald |date= 27 March 1882 }} He was drawing a salary as a Native Assessor{{cite news |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18800827.2.31?query=Taiaroadisqualified&page=2&start_date=01-08-1880&end_date=31-08-1880&snippet=true&type=ARTICLE |title= Taiaroa case | work = Lyttelton Times |date= 27 August 1880 }} and it was suggested that a Validation Act would have been passed for a European member in that situation.{{cite news |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT18800820.2.20?query=Taiaroadisqualified&start_date=01-08-1880&end_date=31-08-1880&snippet=true&type=ARTICLE |title= Taiaroa case | work = Otago DAily Times |date= 20 August 1880 }}

In 1881 Ihaia Tainui who had held the electorate since 1879 resigned so that Taiaroa could resume the electorate. Taiaroa then held the electorate from 1881 to 1885 when he was again appointed to the Legislative Council, where he served for 20 years until his death.

Taiaroa was active in pursuing Ngāi Tahu land claims in Parliament.

Taiaroa's son John Taiaroa played for the All Blacks in their 1884 tour of New South Wales and went on to work as a lawyer in Hastings.