Born in Te Kuiti in 1920 to Dame Rangimārie Hetet and Tuheka Taonui Hetet,[REF] Te Kanawa was named Diggeress in honour of the World War I diggers after her father served in the New Zealand (Māori) Pioneer Battalion.
Te Kanawa married Tana Te Kanawa at 20 and they had 12 children, raising them at Oparure, near Te Kuiti.