Hana Te Hemara

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 Lee Smith, 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 married Syd Jackson in 1961. Together they raised two children.[5][3] She died in Auckland on 10 October 1999, aged 59.[1][2][11]