Tuesday 4 April 2023

Princess Te Rangi Pai (1868-1916)

From Tauranga City Library’s archives
A monthly blog about interesting items in our collection

Annette Tootell (1914-1990)
Tauranga City Libraries Ms 102/03/1

"Ōmokoroa Woman Researches Forgotten Princess” - This is the headline of a Bay of Plenty Times article from 1981, which talks about how Annette Tootell (1914-1990) from Ōmokoroa spent many years researching the life of ‘Princess Te Rangi Pai’ (1868-1916). 

Te Rangi Pai was the stage name of Fanny Rose Howie (nee Porter), a singer acclaimed as a brilliant star on the concert stage in Britain and New Zealand in the early years of this century.  She was born at Tokomaru Bay and in 1901 Fanny travelled to England with her husband, to study with the baritone Charles Stanley. In England as ‘The Princess Te Rangi Pai’ she performed widely, including promenade and formal concerts, fashionable soirees and charity performances. She sang at the Royal Albert Hall on several occasions including the Grand Scotch Festival on St Andrew’s Eve 1902. 

Fanny Rose Howie (nee Porter) - 'Princess Te Rangi Pai'
Tauranga City Libraries - Ms 102/03

Programme Cover 1903-1904
Tauranga City Libraries - Ms 102/3

She returned to New Zealand in 1905 and toured the country in 1906 and 1907 and it is here the connection begins with Annette Tootell.  Annette’s mother, Gertrude Hunt and her uncle, Horace Hunt, both accompanied Te Rangi Pai on stage and tour as performers.  Gertrude later passed her scrapbook of newspaper cuttings and handbills to Annette (Ms 102/2), who in turn created her own scrapbook of Te Rangi Pai (Ms 102/3).  Interestingly, another uncle, Percival Hunt, is the father of well-known New Zealand poet, Sam Hunt.

At Rotorua - Gertrude Hunt, Te Rangi Pai, Maggie Papakura
Tauranga City Libraries Ms 102/3
  

Hine e Hine
Tauranga City Libraries - Ms 102/3
In 1908, Te Rangi Pai’s husband, John Howie, was appointed collector of customs for the Poverty Bay area, and Fanny lived with him in Gisborne, but eventually her illness made complete rest necessary and she went to live in a house built on ancestral land at Maungaroa, near Te Kaha.


In retirement she taught singing and composed many Māori songs including the lullaby ‘Hine e Hine’, which those of you of a certain age might remember, was used to signal the end of nightly broadcasts on Television New Zealand channels, “The Goodnight Kiwi”. 

Click here to listen to Hine e Hine.

Te Rangi Pai died at Opotiki in May 1916 and was buried at Maungaroa under a pōhutukawa tree. A fine Italian marble angel sits atop her lonely grave.

Angel on Te Rangi Pai's Grave c. 1970s
Tauranga City Libraries - Ms 102/3

Although the National Library of New Zealand has a handful of items from Annette Tootell, Tauranga City Libraries is very fortunate to have been gifted original source material, which has now been digitised  and is partially available to view on Pae Korokī  - Ms 102.  As part of the collection, we have an unpublished manuscript written by Annette Tootell, on Fanny Rose Porter’s life story. This is still in copyright, and we are keen to hear from anyone who has information about Annette’s 'estate', so that we may attribute the correct license to this item. If you do have information, we would appreciate contact by email: research@tauranga.govt.nz 

Sources: 

This archival collection has been digitised and is partially available to view on Pae Korokī. For more information about this and other items in our collection, visit Pae Korokī or email the Heritage & Research Team: Research@tauranga.govt.nz


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