Apirana Turupa Ngata was born at Te Araroa on the East Coast on 3 July 1874. In 1905 Ngata contested the Eastern Māori parliamentary seat against the long-standing incumbent, Wī Pere. With solid support from Ngāti Porou, Ngata won by over 750 votes. He was to retain the seat, surviving challenge after challenge, until 1943, becoming in that time 'father' of the House. 

He was a superb parliamentarian. A skilled debater, he could fill the parliamentary galleries whenever he rose to speak. He took his duties very seriously and shunned much of the social side of parliamentary life. Ngata played a pivotal role in shaping Māori politics, legislation and was a powerhouse of national politics. He is often referred as New Zealand’s equivalent to Martin Luther King, a beacon of hope and prosperity for the minority.

Dr Hopa is a former head of Māori Studies Department and held the chair in Māori Society and Culture, and is of Ngāti Wairere descent. She is the first Māori woman to complete her doctorate at the University of Oxford, with research on urban Māori kinship and networks. Dr Hopa has received many accolades, including Elsdon Best Memorial medal for her contribution to Māori research. 

Dr Hopa has promoted positive relationships between cultures and a better understanding of New Zealand’s history. Her commitment to Māori education has spanned more than 40 years and continues to advise on research projects. Dr Hopa gifted our school’s vision, Te Kura Whaikaha, and for that we’re eternally grateful.

Emeritus Professor Ranginui Walker (Whakatōhea) is remembered as a rangatira, one of the most influential Māori academics and a leading advocate for Māori rights and social justice. Professor Walker studied at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, gaining first a Diploma in Teaching, then a Bachelor of Arts in 1962, and a Master of Arts in 1966. 

In 1967 he took up a lectureship role in the Anthropology Department at the University where he completed his PhD in 1970. From the 1970s to the 2000s, he was a tireless advocate for Māori rights, social justice and cultural preservation.

He was born in Oparure and was educated at Te Kuiti Primary School and Te Kuiti High School. He attended Massey Agricultural College. In 1957 he joined the Labour Party and entered Parliament in 1969 when he won the highest majority of any candidate in the 1969 general election. He became MP for the Western Māori [now Te Tai Hauauru] electorate and held this position until he retired in 1996. After the 1984 general election he was appointed Minister of Māori Affairs, Lands and Forests, and Minister in Charge of the Valuation Department. 

After the 1987 general election he retained the portfolio of Māori Affairs and assumed responsibility for the Iwi Transition Agency and the Ministry of Māori Affairs which both replaced the former Department of Māori Affairs. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Waikato in 1999, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2006, and received a University of Waikato Lifetime Award in 2008. Koro Wetere was considered a powerhouse in Waikato-Tainui tribal affairs and was a leading figure in negotiating the 1995 Waikato Raupatu Settlement.

During the Second World War, Te Kōpua papakaingā was destroyed to make way for an aerodrome, and the Māori landowners were evicted. After the war the land was not returned to its Maori owners, but instead turned into a golf course. Eva Rickard led a long struggle to win back the land; in 1978 she was arrested for a sit-in protest. Television images of her arrest were a defining moment in the struggle.

In the end the cause was victorious. The golf course became a farm, with a marae and training centre. The Raglan protest, and others at Takaparawhā (Bastion Point) in central Auckland, helped to change land legislation. If land taken for public works is no longer needed, the government is now required to return it to the original owners. Eva Rickard was a trailblazer, standing up and fighting for Indigenous rights.

Te Puea emerged as a leader during the First World War. She opposed the government’s policy of conscripting Māori for war service, at a time when Tainui still felt lingering bitterness about the invasion and confiscation of their lands. The government compounded Tainui feelings of injustice by responding with a general order for Māori conscription which applied only to the King Country-Maniapoto district.

After the war Te Puea helped set up a Tainui settlement at Ngāruawāhia, and a new marae called Tūrangawaewae. For the King Movement this was a new centre and a new focus, and the settlement gradually took on the flavour of a ‘national marae’. Te Puea hosted several European politicians and dignitaries there, helping to restore the national status of the Kīngitanga.

Te Puea then focused on improving economic conditions for Tainui. She persuaded her people to join in Apirana Ngata’s ambitious Māori land development schemes. She supervised the scheme and worked hard for many years to achieve her goal of Māori economic and community revival.

In 1937 Te Puea was made a CBE (Dame Commander of the British Empire). This indicated better relations between the Kīngitanga and the government. But Tainui, angry that the government did not acknowledge their King’s mana (prestige), did not attend the Treaty centennial celebrations at Waitangi in 1940.