Pepene Eketone

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{{Use New Zealand English|date=November 2016}}

Pepene Eketone (ca. 1856 – 9 November 1933) was a New Zealand interpreter, native agent, assessor and politician. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Ngāti Maniapoto iwi. He was born in Taranaki, New Zealand in circa 1856.{{DNZB|Ballara|Angela|3e3|Pepene Eketone|1 December 2011}}

He sometimes used an English name, which was based on missionaries, and was thus known as Fairburn Eggleston or Fairburn Eccleston. The official return for the {{NZ election link|1931}} lists him as Pepene Tango Eketone;{{cite book |title=The General Election, 1931 |year=1932 |publisher=Government Printer |url= http://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1932-I-II.2.3.2.31 |page=6 |accessdate=2 November 2014}} the middle name is not mentioned in his Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.

Eketone was politically active and contested his first general election in {{NZ election link year|1887}}, when he stood in the {{NZ electorate link|Western Maori}} electorate; he came third out of five candidates.{{cite news |title=The Maori Election |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TS18870919.2.29.5 |accessdate=15 March 2014 |newspaper=The Star |date=19 September 1887 |issue=6036 |page=3}}{{cite news |title=The Maori Election |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP18870919.2.42 |accessdate=15 March 2014 |newspaper=The Evening Post |date=19 September 1887 |volume=XXXIV |issue=69 |page=3}} In the {{NZ election link|1890}}, he came second after the incumbent, Hoani Taipua.{{cite news |title=Telegrams |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=IT18901201.2.6 |accessdate=28 November 2013 |newspaper=Inangahua Times |date=1 December 1890 |volume=XV |issue=20887 |page=2}} In the {{NZ election link|1896}}, he was one of 13 candidates in the Western Maori electorate and came seventh.{{cite news |title=Untitled |url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=PBH18970104.2.8 |accessdate=16 January 2014 |newspaper=Poverty Bay Herald |date=4 January 1897 |volume=XXIV |issue=7816 |page=2}}

He had one last (unsuccessful) attempt of getting elected in the Western Maori electorate in the {{NZ election link year|1931}} general election; of the six candidates, he came fourth.