In 1840 more than 500 chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document. Ngā Tohu, when complete, will contain a biographical sketch of each signatory.
| Signature | Sheet | Signed as | Probable name | Tribe | Hapū | Signing Occasion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Sheet 2 — The Manukau-Kāwhia Sheet | Warekaua | Wharekawa | Waikato? | Kāwhia, 3 September 1840 |
Wharekawa signed the Manukau-Kāwhia sheet of the Treaty of Waitangi on 3 September 1840 at Kāwhia. He was the last to sign this treaty sheet before it was sent back to Lieutenant-Governor William Hobson in the Bay of Islands.
It is thought that Wharekawa was a rangatira (chief) of Waikato from Whakatīwai on the western shore of the Firth of Thames. In 1845 Wharekawa signed the sale document for the Mangapū block at Papakura in the Manukau district.
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