Of the vessels registered as British Ships in New Zealand, and that was a fraction of the number actually trading, there were nearly 200 individual Maori owners. Most of these vessels had Maori skippers, many of them master mariners, and Maori crew.
One of the most prominent of these owners was Tenetahi of Hauturu (Little Barrier). Tenetahi knew the Hauraki Gulf better than any man. He was born on Aotea (Great Barrier) in 1826 or 1827, the son of Pohuehue of Ngati Wai. He married Rahui te Kiri, the daughter of Te Kiri, a chief of Ngati Wai. They settled on Hauturu in the late 1860s and began to stock it with pigs and cattle. They had 10 children. Rahui often sailed with Tenetahi as his Mate and played a vital role in running the vessel.
