Sir Robert Te Kotahi Mahuta KNZM (26 April 1939 – 1 February 2001) was a prominent Māori politician. He was born Robert Jeremiah Ormsby and changed his name by deed poll.^[1]

Mahuta was the first Māori leader to negotiate a satisfactory compensation settlement with the New Zealand government for tribal land confiscated under European settlement in the fledgling colony. In a deal completed in late 1994, he won a package worth NZ$170m for his Tainui tribe for the seizure of 485,000 hectares of land in the North Island's Waikato Region 131 years earlier. Significantly for all Māori, the settlement included the first formal apology given by the Crown to the indigenous people for historical wrongs during colonisation.^[2]

He was born Robert Jeremiah Ormsby in Te Kuiti, New Zealand, on 26 April 1939.^[1] His father, also Robert Jeremiah Ormsby,^[3] was part-Māori.^[1] His mother was Te Amohia Ormsby,^[3] and her mother was Piupiu Te Wherowhero, a leader within the kahui ariki (Māori royal family). Piupiu was a daughter of Te Wherowhero, the younger son of King Tāwhiao.^[4]

Robert Ormsby was adopted by King Korokī at four weeks old, and became the brother of Princess Piki, later the Māori Queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu. He changed his name by deed poll to Robert Te Kotahi Mahuta when he was 24.^[1]

Mahuta married Raiha (née Edmonds) in 1964 and had one son and two daughters. His eldest is a son Tukaroto Mahuta (who has three sons and a daughter). His elder daughter, Nanaia, is a Labour MP (and has one son) and his younger daughter is Tipa (who has one daughter and a granddaughter).^[5]

He was the director of Māori Studies and Research at Waikato University from 1972 to 1977. He studied at Wolfson College, Oxford, in 1977.^[2] Mahuta served as a Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commissioner, Chairman of the Māori Development Corporation and Chairman of the Tainui Māori Trust Board. For his services to the Māori people he was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (KNZM) in 1997.^[1]

He died in Hamilton aged 61. Robert Mahuta was a "warrior in the true sense", said former Member of Parliament Sir Douglas Graham.

"Sir Robert's achievements are unsurpassed, irrespective of the troubles in recent times," said former Minister of Māori Affairs, Parekura Horomia. Mr Horomia had the utmost respect for Bob and was grateful for the opportunity to work with him, which they did so on numerous occasions.