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Ihakara Te Tuku Rapana, MBE (8 November 1886 – 21 June 1968) was a New Zealand sportsman, businessman, orator and member for the Maori Anglican Church. A champion sheep shearer and professional wrestler, commonly known as Ike Robin, he was the first national heavyweight champion recognised by the National Wrestling Association and successfully defended the title against some of the top stars of the Gold Dust Trio-era, most notably, Stanislaus Zbyszko in 1926. Over 40 years after his death, he was ranked #7 in a top ten list of New Zealand's greatest wrestlers by ''Fight Times Magazine'' in 2009. As a lay reader of the Anglican church he was closely associated with many prominent members of the clergy, such as Bishop Frederick Bennett, and other notable figures as Te Puea Herangi and Sir Turi Carroll. He was also an elder of the Ngati Kahungunu and especially active in charity work and philanthropy on behalf of the Maori people. His efforts were recognized and was awarded the Order of the British Empire. ==Early life== Ihakara Te Tuku Rapana was born in Wairoa, New Zealand, on 8 November 1886. He was the second of four children born to Ihakara Rapana, a member of the Ngati Raukawa, and Riripeti Te Aue Roberts (or McRobert). His mother was of Scottish and Ngati Kahungunu descent. Shortly after his birth, Robin's family moved to Kohupatiki where he lived for the rest of his life. Although he received a primary education, Robin left school at age 15 to become a chauffeur and mechanic for Napier businessman George Donnelly. A year later, he joined his father as a shearer for the Chambers family at Te Mata station, then one of the biggest sheep stations in Hawke's Bay, as well as other various duties. He began shearing sheep at 20 years old and had a highest daily tally of 150 sheep in his first year. He increased this to 200 a year later and, in his third year, he achieved the title of 'gun-shearer' with a 300 tally. He increased this to 343.〔Mills, A. R. ''Sheep-O!: The Story of the World's Fastest Shearers''. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed, 1960. (pg. 131)〕 Robin eventually left Te Mata to find work for other shearing contractors and travelled as far as Wanganui and Turakina for employment. While at Mangaohane station in Taihape, he reached his highest personal tally, setting a record of 358 sheep in 8 hours 20 minutes. Robin also regularly competed in the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society shows. In his best year in the competition, he won seven firsts, three seconds and one third in different shearing events.〔 Robin soon became a shearing contractor and his gangs were highly sought after by stations throughout Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa and Wellington. He eventually became the biggest contractor in Hawke's Bay〔 and, at the peak of his success, Robin employed over 100 workers for both sheering and general farm work. He was able to offer work and accommodation to young homeless Maori, and worked with social welfare agencies in Napier and Hastings. The freezing works at Whakatu and Tomoana caused Robin's shearing contracts to decline as many of his men left his gang and chose to find work independently rather than as a contract worker.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ike Robin」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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