Leonard was born on 23 September 1872 in
Foxton, New Zealand. She was the only child of
Ngāti Raukawa parents, and married her husband in 1894 through an arranged marriage. She grew up in
Rotorua and witnessed the 1886
eruption of Mount Tarawera. Leonard and her husband were farmers at
Ngongotahā and had six daughters and four sons together; two of their children died young and one son was killed in
World War II. Another of her grandchildren,
Te Ururoa Flavell, is a member of the New Zealand parliament. On her 112th birthday, Leonard was presented with the
Freedom of the City of Rotorua. She attributed her longevity to her sweet tooth. At the time of her death at
Rotorua Hospital on 29 December 1984, she was New Zealand's oldest woman and one of the three oldest people in the
Commonwealth. == References ==