Ngāneko Minhinnick

Born on 15 August 1939 of Ngāti Te Ata descent, Minhinnick grew up in Waiuku and was one of 15 children.[1][2] From an early age she was chosen by her people as a future leader, attending Māori Land Court hearings from the age of 11, and becoming kaitiaki of Tāhuna Marae when she was 19 years old.[3] She had married her husband, Eden Minhinnick, when she was 16.[2][4]

Minhinnick was named the New Zealand Māori Council's young woman of the year in 1970, recognising her involvement in community affairs as a justice of the peace, Māori language interpreter, and teacher of Māori language at night classes.[4]

In 1985, Minhinnick was one of the leaders of the Manukau Harbour Claim concerning pollution of the harbour to the Waitangi Tribunal.[3][5] The tribunal's report, and Minhinnick's subsequent submissions to the government, were factors in the development of the Resource Management Act 1991.[5] She represented her iwi at the United Nations Human Rights Council in 1988,[3] and invited a United Nations special rapporteur to Tāhuna Marae.[5] She also sat on the Auckland Regional Council.[5]

In the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours, Minhinnick was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and conservation.[6] Her investiture was at Government House in Wellington on 5 September 2013.[7]

Minhinnick died on 15 June 2017, and her tangihanga (a traditional Māori funeral rite) was held at Tāhuna Marae.[3]