Meri Mangakahia was born in the Hokianga of Te Rarawa descent, and was well educated. Her husband was a leading figure in the Kotahitanga movement, which sought to establish an inter-tribal Màori parliamentary institution, modelled on the existing general parliament. In 1892 Meri Mangakahia’s spouse was elected premier of the organisation, and in May 1893 both she and her husband attended a meeting of the Kotahitanga Parliament. She had probably come into contact with the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and would have been aware of the women’s suffrage movement. At the May meeting she proposed a comprehensive motion which would enable women to vote and stand as candidates for the Parliament, going a step further than the contemporary aims of the general suffrage campaign. In a thoughtful speech, she reasoned that many single or widowed women took responsibility for land and other affairs - and indeed that many women were more knowledgeable about land management than their husbands or fathers. She also noted that many men had unsuccessfully petitioned the Queen for compensation for various wrongs done to Màori, and she thought that the Queen might listen more attentively to her sisters.

Although Meri Mangakahia gained considerable support at the meeting, further discussion was deferred until the Parliament should receive formal recognition, so the matter effectively lapsed. Apart from her spirited and convincing argument for women’s rights, little is known of the life of this courageous woman. It is likely that she continued to work within the women’s committees of Kotahitanga, which debated welfare and political issues and may be seen as forerunners of the Màori Women’s Welfare League.