Ākenehi Tōmoana (néePatoka, c.1843–1908) was a Māori leader of chiefly status (wāhine rangatira), landowner, suffragist and women's rights activist in New Zealand.
In 1852, Tōmoana married chief Hēnare Tōmoana of Heretaunga (died 1904).[3] It was the second marriage for them both.[4] They 13 children together including their son Paraire Hēnare Tōmoana, who became a sportsman.[2]
When the Native Land Court (now the Māori Land Court) was established in 1865 under the Native Lands Act, Tōmoana represented her land interests. In 1883 her husband said at a Native Land Court hearing that "through the courage of my wife Äkenehi ... lands have been retained."[4]
In 1893, Tōmoana accompanied Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia to present a motion at the Te Kotahitanga Māori parliament.[5][6][pageneeded] They were the first women recorded to address the lower house and called for Māori women to be able to vote and stand for parliamentary seats.[1]
By 1895, Tōmoana became part of a group of high-status women called the "First Wives of Heretaunga", who established the Komiti Wahine Māori.[4][7] At Te Haukē Marae, the group established a forum to discuss women's suffrage, equal rights for women, temperance, and the need to stop selling ancestral land.[8][9]
Tōmoana became ill in 1899 and retired from her campaigning activities.[4] She died in 1908[7] and was buried at Pakipaki, but was later moved to be buried at Waipatu with her husband.[4]
Legacy
In 2020, writing by Tōmoana was set to music for a performance at the Hamilton Fringe Festival.[10]
1 2 "Ākenehi Tōmoana". New Zealand History, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Manatū Taonga. Archived from the original on 22 July 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2025.