Te Wherowhero (1800-1860) was the first king of New Zealand's Maori people. He was a chief of the Waikato iwi (tribe) and played a prominent role in the great wars among the Maori iwi during the 1820's and 1830's. He refused to sign the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, a treaty between the Maori and the British that guaranteed Maori rights to New Zealand's land and natural resources in return for British sovereignty over the country. He was prepared to live on friendly terms with the Europeans. Supporters of the King movement installed him as king in 1858 at a meeting in Ngaruawahia. He chose the name Potatau I. He was born in Waikato. He died in Ngaruawahia on June 25, 1860. See also King movement; Waitangi, Treaty of.