Haare Puke was born in July 1925 at Tauhei, Waikato, and was educated at Hamilton Technical College. He joined the Army in 1945 but did not serve overseas and during the post war years he was an outstanding rugby player who played alongside the likes of George Nepia, Monita Delamare, Ben Couch and many others. He also excelled in athletics - namely the 100 yard sprint and hop skip and jump. He attended the Mormon huitau held at Turangawaewae in 1938 & 1939 with his mother and is a strong believer and follower of the Church.

Haare has contributed tirelessly and selflessly to the Hamilton and wider Waikato community and to the many groups within over a great number of years.  He has the role of kaumatua for the City of Hamilton as a provider of cultural advice, and is widely recognised for his vast knowledge of both the Maori and English language through his regular appearances as a guest speaker, and also in a welcoming role at official functions. In 1990 he was a recipient of the 1990 Commemorative Medal from the Hamilton City Council. He has represented Hamilton, Waikato and Tainui not only at a regional level but also nationally. 

He is Chairperson of Nga Mana Toopu o Kirikiriroa, the Resource Management advisors to the Hamilton City Council and assists in an advisory role to local entities such as Agg Research Ruakura, the Puketaha Trust, and the Waikato Sports Foundation among others. He is a member of the Working Party for Waikato Rural Drink Drive. He has been a Justice of the Peace for a great number of years.  He has received acknowledgement from the Maori Tourism Development Board and as a respected elder, he is often asked to comment and is reported on topical issues.

His ancestral heritage from the Waikato hapu of Ngati Wairere, Ngati Koura and Ngati Whawhaakia produced a man thoroughly grounded in local history and tribal lore, especially with regards to the King Movement. In 1976 he began years of service for Tainui, joining the Tainui Maori Trust Board and eventually holding the position of Chairman for seventeen years. Early years on the Board were spent organising the tribe and battling for compensation for raupatu (confiscated) land.  He was tasked with assisting the tribe's Principal Negotiator Sir Robert Te Kotahi Mahuta and leading the tribe through to the successful conclusion of the land claim to the Crown, culminating in the Waikato Raupatu Lands Claims Settlement Act of 1995. In the year 2000 his involvement in tribal management ended with the establishment of the Waikato Raupatu Lands Trust where he remained as a marae representative for the next three years, and to this day, he continues to play a dominant role on the Kaumatua Committee.  He has also supported other iwi in their land claims.

A gifted sportsman, he made the New Zealand Services rugby team and was named one of New Zealand's most promising players in the 1945 New Zealand Rugby Almanac. He made the Waikato and Maori All Black sides in 1946 and 1947, and maintains a strong interest in Waikato and Maori rugby, having travelled overseas with the Maori All Blacks in a kaumatua role. He was also a member of the Waikato Stadium Trust.