Hana Te Hemara

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Hana Te Hemara
Born(1940-02-16)16 February 1940[1]
Puketapu, Bell Block, New Zealand
Died10 October 1999(1999-10-10) (aged 59)[2]
Auckland, New Zealand
Other namesHana Te Hemara Jackson
Known forMāori activist

Hana Te Hemara (16 February 1940 – 10 October 1999) was a prominent Māori activist and leader.

Biography[]

Te Hemara, of Te Āti Awa and Ngāti Raukawa descent, was the seventh of 12 children,[1] born in Puketapu and educated at the Waitara Convent.[3][4][5]

She grew up in Mangakino where her father worked on the dams at Karapiro and Mangakino[5] Later she worked as a telephone operator in various places[5][1]

Te Hemara started studying at the University of Auckland in 1969[1] at the age of 30 to study politics[5] and New Zealand history.[3] Actively involved with Ngā Tamatoa.[5] She strongly supported Tino Rangatiratanga, the revival of the Māori language, and the Māori protest movement in general.[5][2][1][3]

In the 1970s Te Hemara was one of the founding members of Ngā Tamatoa, a Maori activist group.[3][6] The group organised protests at Waitangi[7]

On 14 September 1972, Te Hemara along with Titewhai Harawira, Rawiri Paratene and Syd Jackson[8] presented a petition of over 30,000 signatures to parliament challenging the politicians to prioritise saving Te Reo Māori.[3][9] This led to the day being declared Māori Language Day. Three years later, it was expanded to Māori Language Week.[5][9][3][1][2][8][10]

In 1979, Te Hemara joined the Māori Affairs Department with the Māori Language Commission, a result of her work.[11][2] She formed the first Māori Business and Professional Association in 1980 and organised Te Kopu Designers' Award for Māori designers in 1984.[3][9][2]

Te Hemara later gained notoriety in 1998, when it was reported she said, "Kill a white and become a hero."[1][11] Te Hemara maintained her comment was taken out of context.[2]

Te Hemara married Syd Jackson in 1961.[5][3] She died in Auckland on 10 October 1999, aged 59.[11][1][2]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Potter, Tony (17 October 1999). "Pacifist a weaver of people". Sunday Star-Times. p. A11.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Berry, Ruth (14 October 1999). "Activist gave voice to case for land and te reo Maori". Dominion Post. p. 5.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "125 Extraordinary New Zealand Women". Our Wāhine. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  4. ^ Tolerton, Jane (21 December 1993). "Interview with Hana Te Hemara". Department of Internal Affairs. National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Bridget Underhill. "Hana [Jackson] Te Hemara". Kōmako. Toi Māori Aotearoa. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  6. ^ Bielenberg, Aliosha (22 December 2017). "The Polynesian Panthers and Negotiations of Blackness" (PDF). Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  7. ^ "A brief history of Waitangi Day". The New Zealand Herald. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Today marks 43 years since Māori language petition". Māori Television. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "1945–1978 Language under threat". Te Tai. Te Manatū Taonga - Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  10. ^ McCaffery, John (27 July 2010). "Revitalising Te Reo Māori – a language activist reflects on how far we have come". University of Auckland. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019.
  11. ^ a b c "Maoridom mourns top activist". The New Zealand Herald. 30 June 2000. Retrieved 28 June 2021.


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