New Zealand Listener – August 10, 2019

54 LISTENER AUGUST 10 2019

80 YEARS

A

striking aspect of the

history of Aotearoa

since 1939 is the

profound impact

of Māori women.

Obviously, many Māori men

have helped shape New Zealand

today. One thinks of

Matiu Rata, father of the

Waitangi Tribunal, or

Winston Peters, father

of the SuperGold Card.

But in areas such as land

rights, language, health

and culture, the influence

of Māori women

has been immense.

In 1939, one

woman was providing

extraordinary leadership:

Te Puea Herangi. Born

into the family of the

Māori King, Te Puea had

already done much to

re-establish the King’s

mana. She had resisted

the conscription of

Tainui men, promoted

Māori culture and values

and helped create a new

centre for the kīngitanga,

Tūrangawaewae, on the

banks of the Waikato

River.

During the next 20

years, the Māori King’s

standing was reflected

in visits by dignitaries to

Tūrangawaewae – most

importantly in 1953,

a year after Te Puea’s

death, when Queen Elizabeth

unexpectedly stopped to

pay tribute. Te Puea’s Tainui

leadership was picked up

subsequently by another

impressive Māori woman, the

Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Te

Atairangikaahu. She oversaw

the settlement of Waikato’s

confiscation claim in 1995.

Whina Cooper became

another towering leader. In

1951, she left the northern

Hokianga (where, incidentally,

she had been the first

female president of a local

rugby union!) and moved

to Auckland. Quickly she

confronted the challenges

faced by Māori migrating to

the city. As the first president

of the Māori Women’s

Welfare League, she fought for

improved health and housing

and attacked discrimination.

Her greatest moment came

in 1975, when she was asked

by Te Roopū o te Matakite to

lead the Māori land march

from Te Hapua in the north

to Parliament. She became

recognised as Te Whaea o te

Motu (Mother of the Nation).

In the battle for Māori

land, Eva Rickard was also

a significant leader. She

campaigned in the late 1970s

for the return of land at Raglan

that had been taken by the

state for a wartime airfield.

By this time, there were a

group of younger women,

influenced by feminism, who

led protests for Māori rights –

people such as Donna Awatere,

Ripeka Evans and Ngahuia Te

Awekotuku.

The revival of the language

became a particular area

where Māori women showed

inspiring leadership. Hana

Jackson led a parliamentary

petition for the teaching

of te reo in schools in

1972, and Kāterina Mataira

promoted kura kaupapa

Māori (language schools).

Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi and

Jean Puketapu provided a

similar role for kōhanga

reo. Ngoi Pēwhairangi

was another who

worked hard for Māori

language and became a

distinguished composer

of the famous hits E Ipo

and Poi E. Nor should

we forget the influential

role played by Hinewehi

Mohi in singing the

national anthem in

te reo in 1999 and

changing the way it has

been sung ever since.

Other Māori women

who have brought their

commitment to Māori

rights into the cultural

arena are Patricia Grace

with her powerful novels

and Merata Mita, whose

films, especially Patu,

documented important

parts of our history.

The health of Māori

was significantly

improved by the

leadership shown by

Irihapeti Ramsden, the

inspirer of “cultural

safety”, and Tariana

Turia, co-founder of the

Māori Party and very

much the mother of Whānau

Ora.

Finally, in a month that we

featured in two world cups, the

leadership of Māori women

in sport must be recognised.

One thinks immediately of

Farah Palmer, who captained

the Black Ferns to no fewer

than three world cups, and, of

course, Noelene Taurua from

Ngāti Whatua, who turned it

all around for New Zealand

netball in Liverpool.

Te Mana o te Wāhine – Māori women 1939-2019

Clockwise from top left; Te Puea Herangi, Whina Cooper, Farah Palmer

and Tariana Turia.

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