Pīariari signed the Bay of Plenty (Fedarb) sheet of the Treaty of Waitangi at Whakatāne on 16 June 1840. He was from the Ngāti Pūkeko hapū (subtribe) of Ngāti Awa and lived at Te Kupenga pā (fortified village).
When Te Ika-poto of Tūhoe visited Te Kupenga, he and Pīariari took part in tau-mataki-tahi (single combat). Pīariari swung his taiaha (fighting staff) so close to Te Ika-poto’s face that the latter started and stepped back. This was a contest of skill rather than a fight to the death.
In 1990, on the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Te Kari Waaka was presented to Queen Elizabeth II as a direct descent of Pīariari.