Ihaka Whanga was the only survivor of a tribal raid that killed his parents and five brothers. He dedicated his life to achieving peace through marriage, the ancestral practice of “Te Kupenga a Te Huki.” Whanga was married three times to Kahungunu women from influential families. Later in life, Whanga converted to the Mormon faith, his son Hirini Whanga traveled to Utah, and the Whanga name became tied to the growth of a 4000+ member Mormon church in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.
