I whānau mai a Apirana Tuahae Kaukapakapa Mahuika i te riu o Waiapu i te tuatahi o Mei, 1934.
Ko te pōtiki o ngā tamariki tekau mā whā a Te Hamana raua ko Tangipo, o Rakaimataura me Hinerupe (ki Waiapu) hapū.
Ka whai ia i ngā tapuwae o tōna tīpuna a Tā Apirana Ngata ki te Kāreti o Te Aute.
Nō muri ka whai i ngā akoranga o te hāhi ki te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau, he tohu paerua i Te Whare Wānanga o Poihākena, ā, nāwai nāwai he tohu kairangi motuhake nā Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato.
Nō ngā tau ono tekau ka tohua ia hei minita o te Hāhi Mihingare, tana mahi mō te rima tekau mā rua tau āpiti atu rā ki ana mahi whakaako i ngā kura mananui, pēnei i a Hato Tīpene i Tāmaki, Te Aho o te Kura Pounamu ki Pōneke me Te Kura Kaiako, kāti rā ngā Whare Wānanga o Wikitōria, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa me Waikato.
He tohunga hoki ki te reo Māori, taka iho ana i tōna ringa tuhi he pukapuka ako i te reo, he pukapuka kōrero paki mā te tamariki, he pukapuka wetewete i ngā take e pēhi nei i te ao Māori.
Heoi nō te tau 1987 ka ruku ia ki ngā mahi i rongonui ai ia. Nānā i hautū te rōpu mahi i whakatū i Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou, hei heamana hoki mōna ā-mate noa nei.
Arā ngā mahi maha i oti i raro i tōna whakahaere, te whakatūhanga o Radio Ngāti Porou, te mātāmua o ngā reo irirangi ā-iwi o te motu, Ngāti Porou Hauora, Ngāti Porou Whānui Forests, te whakahokinga o Maunga Hikurangi me te kerēme WAI272 ki te Taraipiunara o Waitangi.
"Nōreira haere rā e Pāpā Api, koutou ko ō mātua. Unuhia i te rito o te harakeke, ka tū i te aro ā-kapa. Aku nui, aku rahi e, aku whakatamarahi ki te rangi e. Waiho te iwi mana e mae noa ngā mahi nui i oti i a koe mō rātou te painga."