Kahutoi Mere (III) is a combination of her paternal grandmother Kahutoi (II) and Mere, her maternal grandmother, Mere Te Rongopamamao.

When Kahutoi (II) was born, circa 1870, she was named after King Tawhiao’s Kahutoi (war cloak) when he made his way from Kawhia back to Ngaruawahia.

Kahu has always felt honored to carry these tupuna names, especially given her premature birth where she contracted the H bug (Hospital bug). This impacted her ability to survive the first six hours of her life. She was immediately named and christened. The tupuna names were chosen because of the struggles both great-grandmothers had endured and survived in their lifetimes. Kahu credits her name as indicative of her own fighting spirit to survive.