Te Reo Māori and Māori rights advocate, and founding member of Ngā Tamatoa, Hana Te Hemara (Te Atiawa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāi Tahu) was celebrated during Māori Language Week in Ngāmotu, New Plymouth.

On 14 September 1972 Ngā Tamatoa and Te Reo Māori Society championed bringing the Te Reo Māori petition before Parliament. Hana presented the petition signed by over 30,000 people which was received by then Minister of Māori Affairs Matiu Rata. It has been 50 years since that Petition was brought to Parliament calling for te reo Māori to be taught in our schools. Many generations have benefited from this original te reo Māori revitalisation initiative which brought about the recognition of a Māori Language Week and led to the development of Kohanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa Māori schooling.

The ‘I am Hana’ project was conceived from whānau aspirations to acknowledge Hana Te Hemara, Ngā Tamatoa and commemorate the anniversary of the Te Reo Māori petition. The spirit of this project was supported by Hana’s local Taranaki iwi, New Plymouth District Council, Creative NZ, Te Puni Kōkiri, Te Mātāwai and many other organisations. Part of the project also included artist Mr G Graham Hoete painting a full scale five-storey mural of Hana Te Hemara on the side of the Pukeariki Museum which was blessed in a dawn ceremony.

The night before, I attended the panel discussion faciltated by journalist Orini Kaipara with Ngā Tamatoa and Te Reo Māori Society members.Toro Waaka, Linda Smith, Ngahuia Te Awekotuku, Donna Awatere Huata, Larry Parr, Donna Gardiner, Kura Te Waru-Rewiri and many others shared their experiences of involvement with Hana and the Ngā Tamatoa protest activities of the 1970s. The panel shared their stories of resistance to the racial discrimination and injustice they faced. 

Set at a time when the Vietnam War dominated the world scene and on the homefront Prime Minister Norman Kirk led a Labour Government that sought to change Waitangi Day to New Zealand Day. Disillusionment with government treatment of Māori land greivances, increased Māori incaceration rates, and loss of te reo Māori were some of the issues brought to the forefront. We heard stories of how Māori activism took place gathering around Hana’s kitchen table to mobilise members and strategise for action.

A photo exhibition took place displaying photos captured by John Miller of the Ngā Tamatoa members protest action taken during the 1970s protest era. Ngā Tamatoa stood in solidarity with the Polynesian Panthers Movement fighting social injustices facing their communities. Photos of the protest action from those times highlight the first Waitangi Day Protest 1971, Karangahape Road, Auckland and Parliament Grounds Wellington Protests of 1972. These radical actions led to significant change for Māori. 

Presenting the Te Reo Māori petition of 1972 is one of those iconic moments in our Aoteraoa New Zealand history. The Ngā Tamatoa history and Hana Te Hemara’s role is not well known. Its inclusion in the current NZ history school curriculum will serve to educate future generations on the larger story of the Ngā Tamatoa movement and Hana’s courageous leadership as a driving force behind the petition. Hana died from cervical cancer and as part of the ‘I am Hana’ project, local Māori health provider Tui Ora ran an event promoting the Smear Your Mea programme, a nationwide Kaupapa Māori-led cervical screening campaign. 

Who is Hana? Her portrait says it all; proud daughter of Puketapu Taranaki, fashion icon, passionate advocate for Māori rights, strategist, thinker, unashamedly a Māori radical, wahine Māori. As I reflect upon Hana’s passion for te reo Māori this line from a prayer composed by Rev Kingi Ihaka comes to mind.

“Kaua e te Matua e tukua tēnei taonga kia rite ki te moa te ngaro, ēngari whakakahangia mātou katoa ki te ako, ki te pūpuri kia mau, kia ita, hei koha mā mātou ki te ao”. Lord, do not let this precious gift disappear like the moa, strengthen our resolve to learn, to preserve and grow our language an offering to the world”.