Rangitāne leaders: Taylor Samuel Mihaere 1923 -1979

Taylor Sam Mihaere, then a councillor with Palmerston North City Council, meeting Queen Elizabeth II during the Royal Visit in 1970. Photo / Stuff

Taylor Mihaere (Ngāti Mutuahi) was a leader of renown during the 1960s and 70s. Here in Dannevirke, he was Taylor, a young Māori boy from Tahoraiti. In Palmerston North, however, he was Sam and it was there that he became a well-respected, much-loved local politician.

Taylor was the eldest son of Ngete and Whati Mihaere and lived his early years at Tahoraiti. He was a student at the Tahoraiti School and later Dannevirke High School. After leaving school Taylor went into the Air Force, and from there to Wellington where he was a support person to Southern Maori MP Sir Eruera Tirikatene.

This mixture of Māori rural background, airforce and then working amongst politicians provided a unique perspective for Taylor.

While in Wellington Taylor found employment with the Department of Māori Affairs and it was here he met his sweetheart Lassie Rangihuna and in 1952 they married at the Mormon Church at Tahoraiti. They returned to the family farm at Tahoraiti and looked after Taylor’s ageing mother Ngete. According to Lassie, Taylor was koretake (hopeless) at farming and it was Lassie who did most of the farm work! She noted that his true gift was helping people. So it wasn’t long before Taylor found work as a Welfare Officer in Palmerston North. He was obsessed with ensuring Māori whānau had housing and was a great supporter of Māori trade training. Many said there was no one better and Taylor (now known as Sam) was recruiting young Māori from all over NZ. Many applications were filled out there and then, clearly many Mums and Dads were amazed at the speed of the process. The only commitment was to get their child to Palmerston North and Sam would do the rest!

In 1962 Sam put his hand up for election to the Palmerston North City Council. By this time he had been involved in many projects in and around the city. He was popular with the locals, supported local endeavours and above all he was seen as someone who got things done! He was duly elected becoming the first Māori elected to the Palmerston North City Council.

Sam held his spot in council for more than 15 years, and in 1968 and 1971 he received more votes than any other elected official. In 1972 Labour encouraged Sam to challenge National incumbent Les Gandar in the General Election for the Ruahine electorate. Gandar had previously won by huge margins and most thought it was an impossible task. So it proved, however, he only lost by about 500 votes, a measure of his popularity.

Sam/Taylor depending on what side of the Ruahine divide you met him was awarded the Queens Service Medal in 1977 for public service. He received the medal from another Tararua resident, Sir Keith Holyoke.

Sam did everything from building schools, bridges roads, airports, you name it he did it. He was a member of the Manawatū Māori Rugby Club and the NZ Māori Rugby Advisory Board. Sadly, Sam passed away still in office on August 9, 1979. The Council with great respect to Sam brought him back to Dannevirke where he is buried at the Tahoraiti urupā (cemetery). His photo is still found in many of the buildings in Palmerston North as a testament to the work he did and the impact he had.