Te Hiko-o-te-rangi signed Te Tiriti at Port Nicholson on 29 April 1840. He was the son of Te Pēhi Kupe of Ngāti Toa and his wife Tiaia.
In 1840 he was living at the pā of Te Rangihaeata on Mana Island. According to descendants, he was a frequent traveller, often visiting Queen Charlotte Sound, where he held significant mana. As both a Ngāti Toa and Te Āti Awa chief, like his father, Te Hiko-o-te-rangi held mana amongst both Kāwhia and northern Taranaki tribes, according to one historian.
Te Hiko died in Thorndon hospital in 1849 – one of his last requests was to be taken there.