As we begin to welcome in the Pākehā New Year, teaomāori.news reflects back to the great Māori leaders we have lost this year, prominent figures in te ao Māori who have helped build the foundations and structure for tangata whenua.
January 2022 - Muriwai Ihakara (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Mākino)
“A humble and compassionate leader who quietly led from the front while ensuring that those who were working at the back were well supported and taken care of,” says Ngāti Mākino iwi authority.
March 2022 - Moana Jackson (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Porou)
Jackson authored a groundbreaking report into Māori experiences of New Zealand’s criminal justice system, which highlighted widespread institutional racism and called for greater recognition of the impacts of colonialism on Māori.
March 2022 - June Jackson (Ngāti Maniapoto)
Dame June was a staunch advocate for Māori living in urban areas, working tirelessly to establish the Manukau Urban Māori Authority in 1986, a coalition of pan-tribal organisations from across Aotearoa working together to improve the lives of urban Māori.
March 2022 - Wira Gardiner (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Pikiao, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Whakatōhea)
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tā Wira "left behind a legacy that cannot be measured. A tireless advocate for his people, he has been a trusted and respected advisor to all shades of government for decades".
"Throughout his many roles, it has always been clear that he has been there to improve the lives of others, and he did. His legacy has helped shape Aotearoa," the prime minister said.
March 2022 - Hokimoana Te Rika-Hekerangi (Ngāi Tūhoe)
Hokimoana Te Rika-Hekerangi has spent her life educating people in the art of te reo Maori. Her mission to preserve the Maori language has extended beyond the reach of her community to accommodate wider New Zealand and abroad.
May 2022 - Joe Hawke (Ngāti Whātua)
“I listened to Joe, and his kōrero struck me every single fortnight as being deeply imbued in the values of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei but also of Aotearoa New Zealand. Humble, proud, driven and loyal,” says Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson.
As a highly respected kaumātua of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, he lived on its tūrangawaewae.
June 2022 - Anaru Tamihana (Ngāti Hauā)
A tūmuaki and a king-maker, "He was a man who said very little on the paepae but, when he did speak. it was valuable." says Te Ao Māori News producer Tamati Tiananga.
July 2022 - Derek Kotuku Wooster (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Maru, Te Ātiawa)
A veteran television producer, Derek Wooster pioneered many shows throughout his career that showcased Māori, including being responsible for bringing the predecessor of Te Matatini to television.
July 2022 - Lady Rangiwhata Kuia Morrison (Ngāti Whakaaue)
She was a renowned Rotorua matriarch and an avid runner and walker, completing 14 marathons, including celebrating her 72nd birthday by walking the New York Marathon.
July 2022 - Ricky Houghton (Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Whātua)
Houghton was well-known in his community for his tireless efforts to improve the quality of life for whānau Māori. A former chief executive for He Korowai Trust in Kaitāia, he was also named Local Hero of the Year in the New Zealander of the Year Awards in 2018.
August 2022 - Sir Toby Curtis (Te Arawa)
Sir Toby was heavily involved in Māori broadcasting, helping form several iwi radio stations, Whakaata Māori, and serving as the chair of Te Māngai Pāho.
“I looked up to my uncle Toby because he was a genius, a real leader of his time, of our time,” says nephew and actor Cliff Curtis.
September 2022 - Edward Te Kohu Douglas (Ngāi Tahi, Kāti Māmoe)
AMāori rights expert and demographer, Douglas filed several claims with the Waitangi Tribunal, including the Manukau claim, the Ngāti Awa claim, the te reo claim and the broadcasting frequencies claim.
September 2022 - Maanu Paul (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Manawa)
Maanu Paul was a Māori rights advocate and member of the New Zealand Māori Council. He was a key negotiator for the historic Māori fisheries claim that resulted in the 1992 Sealord settlement being negotiated by a community leader.
October 2022 - Terry Ryan (Ngāi Tahu)
Ryan gained recognition as an authority for the iwi's contemporary whakapapa records for his work in founding the genealogy bank for Ngāi Tahu.
December 2022 - Nau Epiha (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kura)
Epiha served as the chairman of Te Rūnanga o Ngāpuhi and served as a kaumātua to students at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kaikohe. He was a prominent member of the Te Tai Tokerau community.
December 2022 - Robert Bruce Te Whare (Tainui)
A community leader, Te Whare established the Mokai Kāinga Māori Centre Charitable Trust in Wellington as a community garden project to help the homeless find stability.
Tērā te tai e papaki nei ki te pae o mahara mō koutou kua riro.
Ki te waka o Matariki, hei rākeitanga mō Rēhua.
Tapotū ana ngā ngaru ki tātahi.
He tākere waka kua totohu ki te pō.
E mapu nei te aroha ki te ao Māori.
