Tipi Ropiha was born at Waipawa and was educated at local primary schools, Waipawa District High School and Te Aute College. Ropiha began working for the Public Works Department as a cadet in 1912 and then went to World War I as a bombardier with artillery. After returning to New Zealand, he continued studying his great interest—surveying. He qualified as a surveyor at Canterbury College in 1920. Ropiha was awarded the Makarimu Scholarship and the Bulla Scholarship which cancelled before he could use it. He worked as a surveyor for the Lands and Survey Department and in 1940 was appointed Chief Surveyor of Blenheim. In 1947, he was appointed Under-Secretary of the Native Department and later became Secretary of Māori Affairs. He retired on 30 October 1957. He was the first Māori to head the Māori Affairs Department. Ropiha was married to Rhoda Walker and the couple had two children: Rina and Peter. He was awarded a CBE in 1972.
Biographical sources
- Butterworth, Graham. "Ropiha, Tipi Tainui 1895 – 1976". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, updated 22 June 2007. URL: http//www.dnzb.govt.nz/
- Schwimmer, E.G. "Farewell To A Māori Administrator." Te Ao Hou 21 (1957): 10-12, 63-64.
- Taylor, Alex. "Alex Taylor Remembers...Tipi Ropiha: An Influential Māori Recalled." Te Māori Feb./Mar. 1980: 37-38.
Non-fiction
- "The Place Of The Māori In A Modern Community (Part 1)." Te Ao Hou 17 (1956): 7-11.
- In this text of an address given in 1956, Ropiha discusses the fluctuating Māori population figures since the arrival of European settlers last century and looks at the economic impact of increasing Māori population figures in the future. Ropiha notes that ‘there is only sufficient Māori land left today to provide economic farms for one-quarter of the present population’ and he advocates migration to cities and the acquisition of ‘professional, commercial and technical skills combined with social development.’ Ropiha then examines the economic traditions of the Māori prior to European settlement and the changes that resulted from European contact.
- "The Place Of The Māori In A Modern Community: Part 2: Housing And Land Development." Te Ao Hou 18 (1957): 47-50.
- Ropiha begins by describing the traditional Māori approach to housing which focussed more attention on the communal meeting houses which were ‘symbols of the standing of the community’ than on individual dwellings. The individualised European settlers’ homes set a new precedent and Māori dwellings began to change. However, diminished economic resources resulting from loss of land made it increasingly difficult for Māori to afford to buy houses. In the late 1930s the Department of Māori Affairs began a programme of home finance and building for the Māori and Ropiha outlines the various ways assistance was given. He then discusses the land development scheme for training Māori farmers brought in by the government in 1929 which owed its origins to Sir James Carroll, Sir Apirana Ngata, Sir Mauri Pomare and Sir Peter Buck in the 1890s.
- "Place Of The Māori In A Modern Community: Part 3: The Shape Of The Future." Te Ao Hou 19 (1957): 7-11.
- Ropiha considers that education is the key to ‘provide for all...human needs of the Māori - vocational, social and spiritual’. While noting that the Māori high school student has yet to reach the ‘same educational standard as his European counterpart’, Ropiha shares that real progress is being made in certain districts in bridging this gap. He examines the employment opportunities available to Māori and writes: ‘true equality between Māori and European can only come if their occupation spread is proportionately similar’. The 1951 census revealed that few Māori were employed in skilled trades or the professions. Since that time hostels for apprentices have been established and there has been an increasing awareness of the value of higher education. In conclusion Ropiha looks at the importance of economic, spiritual and social security to enable the Māori to succeed in the modern world, and he addresses the unique problems that face Māori youth when they go to the cities.
- "A Valedictory Tribute." Te Kaunihera Māori: New Zealand Māori Council Journal 1.2 (1966): 15.
- An obituary to Hemi Tono Waetford of Ngāti Wai and Ngapuhi who died in September 1966. Ropiha states that Waetford was ‘[r]ecognised as an authority on Māori Land titles’ and that the ‘culminating point of his career was his appointment by the Minister of Māori Affairs to be a member of the Committee of Inquiry to look into the measures to be adopted in connection with operation of Māori Land Laws and the use of Māori land’, out of which emerged the Pritchard-Waetford Report.’
Other
- Butterworth, Graham. "Ropiha, Tipi Tainui 1895 – 1976." Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, updated 22 June 2007. URL: http//www.dnzb.govt.nz/
- Schwimmer, E.G. "Farewell to a Māori Administrator." Te Ao Hou 21 (1957): 10-12, 63-64.
- Taylor, Alex. "Alex Taylor Remembers...Tipi Ropiha: An Influential Māori Recalled." Te Māori Feb./Mar. 1980: 37-38.