Matiu Rātana (16 December 1912 – 7 October 1949), son of Tahupotiki Wiremu Rātana, was a New Zealand politician and president of the Rātana Church.
Political career
A son of Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana, the founder of the Rātana religion, Matiu Rātana was a younger brother to Haami Tokouru Rātana, whom he succeeded to the Church Presidency, and to the Western Maori electorate (from 10 February 1945, after a by-election) after his brother's death in 1944.
Matiu Rātana died on 7 October 1949 in Wanganui Hospital after a car accident. He was succeeded by his wife Iriaka Rātana as MP. She was the first female Māori MP.
Sources Henderson, James Mcleod (1963). Ratana The Man, The Church, The Movement (1st ed.) A.H & A.W. Reed Ltd .
References