(1) Ka Mate was composed by the Ngati Toa Rangatira chief Te Rauparaha, a descendant of Hoturoa who was captain of the Tainui canoe. Te Rauparaha was born in the 1770s at Kawhia and he died in 1849 at Otaki. Te Rauparaha was a man of great mana; he was the instigator of the emigration of Ngati Toa Rangatira from Kawhia, their consequent conquest and settlement in Kapiti, Port Nicholson, and Te Tau Ihu, and their revitalisation as an iwi.

(2) Te Rauparaha was the product of an arranged marriage. Werawera (father-to-be of Te Rauparaha) heard of the beauty of Parekohatu, a younger daughter of the Ngati Raukawa/Ngati Huia chief Korouaputa. Werawera decided to approach Korouaputa and seek his consent to take Parekohatu as his wife. At Maungatautari, Werawera made the reason for his visit known. Addressing Korouaputa, he said, “I haere mai ahau ki a koe he wahine te take” (I come to you, a woman is the reason). Korouaputa replied, “Heoi ano ko te mea i mahue mai nei ki au, ko taku mokai, he mea hari wai maaku” (The only one I have left is my favourite, she brings me water). Werawera responded, “E pai ana tukuna mai” (It is well give her (to me)). Korouaputa, after giving the matter some thought, replied, “Heoi ano kaore e kore ki te whiwhi tamariki, tera ano he taniwha tetahi” (Nevertheless, yes, without a doubt, when children come there will be a taniwha). When Te Rauparaha was born in the 1770s at Kawhia, Werawera took him back to Maungatautari so that his grandfather could see him. When the old man saw the baby, he stated, “Ae. Koia.”

(3) From that time he was spoken of as a chiefly child, and raised as a rangatira, until he grew old enough to again return to Maungatautari, this time to live with his mother’s people and to learn the art of weaponry, the flow of the taiaha, and the parry of the wahaika.

(1) The story of the composition of Ka Mate is well known within the oral histories of Ngati Toa Rangatira. The event took place while the iwi were still based in Kawhia and Te Rauparaha was gaining prominence as a leader.

(2) During this time, Ngati Toa Rangatira were faced with increasing pressure and ongoing hostilities from iwi based in the Waikato, who sought access and control over coastal resources such as the Kawhia Harbour and surrounding coast. A fragile peace had been made with the Waikato iwi, but Te Rauparaha and the other Ngati Toa Rangatira leaders were aware of the imminent conflict which could erupt at any time. Te Rauparaha journeyed from Kawhia to seek alliances with other tribal groups, one of those being Tuwharetoa who lived in the Lake Taupo region. Te Rauparaha was connected to Tuwharetoa and Te Heu Heu II Mananui, the Paramount Chief of Tuwharetoa.

(3) The relationship between Te Rauparaha and the Tuwharetoa chief Te Heu Heu II Mananui is shown by this whakapapa showing their respective mothers to be second cousins.

(4) Both also descend from Tupahau, ancestor of Toa Rangatira.

(5) When he arrived at Te Rapa, which is located near Tokaanu, Te Rauparaha was told by Te Heu Heu II Mananui that he was being pursued by a war party from Ngati Te Aho, who wanted revenge for a previous incident involving Ngati Toa Rangatira. Te Heu Heu directed Te Rauparaha to seek the protection of his relative Te Wharerangi at his pa on Motu-o Puhi, an island in Lake Rotoaira.

(6) As the war party closed in on their quarry, guided by the incantations of their tohunga, Te Wharerangi instructed Te Rauparaha to hide in a taewa pit and instructed his wife, Te Rangikoaea, to sit at the entrance. By doing this, Te Rauparaha was hidden and protected physically, but, more importantly, in a spiritual sense as well. As the Ngati Te Aho party entered the pa, their tohunga made incantations to locate Te Rauparaha, but the noa of Te Rangikoaea, who sat at the mouth of the pit, acted as an “arai” or barrier. The karakia was inhibited due to the woman's presence.

(7) Te Rauparaha could not be sure that his presence would not be revealed and could feel the power of the incantations. He is said to have muttered “Ka Mate! Ka Mate!” under his breath (Will I die!) and “Ka Ora! Ka Ora!” (or will I live!) when the Noa reduced the incantation’s effect. These lines were repeated many times, coinciding with the waxing and waning of the tohunga’s power, until eventually Ngati Te Aho were convinced that Te Rauparaha had escaped towards Taranaki. It was only then that he finally exclaimed “Ka Ora! Ka Ora! Tenei te tangata Puhuruhuru nana nei i tiki mai Whakawhiti te ra!” (I live! I live! For it was indeed the wondrous power of a woman (“the Noa”) that fetched the sun and caused it to shine again!).

(8) The word “Upane” is an ancient battle command meaning to advance or an order to advance en masse. The composer is likening his exit from the confines of the taewa pit to the advance of a party making an attack. The final exclamation “whiti te ra” means “into the sunlight” and obviously describes the situation and his survival from the threat of capture and possible death.

(1) The haka Ka Mate is regarded by Ngati Toa Rangatira as one of the legacies of Te Rauparaha. Given the role of Te Rauparaha in Ngati Toa Rangatira history, the connection between Ngati Toa Rangatira and the haka Ka Mate is significant, and it forms an integral part of Ngati Toa Rangatira history, culture, and identity.

(2) The haka Ka Mate is a taonga of Ngati Toa Rangatira. While it is the intellectual creation of the Ngati Toa Rangatira chief Te Rauparaha, in creating it he drew upon the body of knowledge and values Ngati Toa Rangatira refer to as “matauranga Maori”. In Maori thinking, such a composition does not “belong” to the composer per se, but instead is a taonga of the iwi to which the composer affiliates. It is they who give life and form to the words.

(3) By definition, Ngati Toa Rangatira believe it is a taonga because it has whakapapa and connects them to their ancestors. The existence of the haka Ka Mate brings the tupuna Te Rauparaha to life and tells an important story in the Ngati Toa Rangatira iwi history. Ngati Toa Rangatira believe it has a korero embedded within it. This korero relates not only to the survival of Te Rauparaha but, as part of the iwi’s collective identity, the re-establishment and revitalisation of the Ngati Toa Rangatira people due to the vision and later actions of Te Rauparaha. Because of these characteristics, the haka Ka Mate has a mauri (a life force).

(4) Ka Mate also has kaitiaki. Ngati Toa Rangatira are the kaitiaki of Ka Mate and it is their lineage that creates this kaitiaki relationship. The primary obligation of kaitiaki is to protect and safeguard the mauri of the taonga as well as the matauranga that sits beneath it.

(5) As kaitiaki, the Ngati Toa Rangatira relationship with this taonga will be perpetual. As long as it continues to exist, Ngati Toa Rangatira obligations will continue. A large component of this will be protecting the mauri of the haka Ka Mate from mistreatment such as offensive and derogatory use.

Ngati Toa Rangatira seek to ensure that the interests of the iwi in the haka Ka Mate are appropriately recognised. Of particular concern is the appropriate use of the haka. It is of great significance to Ngati Toa Rangatira that the haka is treated with respect. The values which Ngati Toa Rangatira seek to uphold are the ihi, wehi, and wana—the ihi being the spiritual force and the wehi and wana being the emotions that emanate from understanding and performing correctly, inspiring emotional pride in the performer.