| Hana Te Hemara | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hana Mere Te Hemara (1940-02-16)16 February 1940 Puketapu, Bell Block, New Zealand |
| Died | 10 October 1999(1999-10-10) (aged 59) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Other names | Hana Mere Jackson |
| Known for | Māori activist |
| Spouse | Syd Jackson |
| Children | 2 |
Hana Mere 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, born in Puketapu and educated at the Waitara Convent.
She grew up in Mangakino where her father worked on the dams at Karapiro and Mangakino Later she worked as a telephone operator in various places
Te Hemara started studying at the University of Auckland in 1969 at the age of 30 to study politics and New Zealand history. Actively involved with Ngā Tamatoa. She strongly supported Tino Rangatiratanga, the revival of the Māori language, and the Māori protest movement in general.
In the 1970s Te Hemara was one of the founding members of Ngā Tamatoa, a Māori activist group. The group organised protests at Waitangi.
On 14 September 1972, Te Hemara along with Lee Smith, Rawiri Paratene and Syd Jackson presented a petition of over 30,000 signatures to parliament challenging the politicians to prioritise saving Te Reo Māori. This led to the day being declared Māori Language Day. Three years later, it was expanded to Māori Language Week.
In 1979, Te Hemara joined the Māori Affairs Department with the Māori Language Commission, a result of her work. She formed the first Māori Business and Professional Association in 1980 and organised Te Kopu Designers' Award for Māori designers in 1984.
Te Hemara married Syd Jackson in 1961. Together they raised two children. She died in Auckland on 10 October 1999, aged 59.
References
- ^ Potter, Tony (17 October 1999). "Pacifist a weaver of people". Sunday Star-Times. p. A11.
- ^ Berry, Ruth (14 October 1999). "Activist gave voice to case for land and te reo Maori". Dominion Post. p. 5.
- ^ "125 Extraordinary New Zealand Women". Our Wāhine. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- Tolerton, Jane (21 December 1993). "Interview with Hana Te Hemara". Department of Internal Affairs. National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ Bridget Underhill. "Hana [Jackson] Te Hemara". Kōmako. Toi Māori Aotearoa. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- Bielenberg, Aliosha (22 December 2017). "The Polynesian Panthers and Negotiations of Blackness" (PDF). Retrieved 22 February 2020.
- "A brief history of Waitangi Day". The New Zealand Herald. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ "Today marks 43 years since Māori language petition". Māori Television. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ "1945–1978 Language under threat". Te Tai. Te Manatū Taonga – Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- 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.
- ^ "Maoridom mourns top activist". The New Zealand Herald. 30 June 2000. Retrieved 28 June 2021.