Ākenehi Hei

Her ability and dedication to her task overcame initial opposition and became a beacon for others, both Māori and Pākehā, when a Māori health nursing service was officially established in 1911.

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Hine-i-paketia

Hine-i-paketia was a leader of Heretaunga (Hawke’s Bay), and of the district extending south to the Manawatū Gorge, during the nineteenth century. She was publicly consulted by influential chiefs. She did not hesitate to speak at meetings and her name headed petitions to the governor.

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Tini Whetu Marama Tirikatene-Sullivan

Whetū Tirikātene-Sullivan was New Zealand’s first Māori woman cabinet minister, its longest-serving woman MP, and a staunch advocate in Parliament for Māori interests. An accomplished academic, social worker, designer, sportswoman and dancer, she paved the way for women to combine a political career with motherhood.

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Kura Ensor

Kura Ensor was an Auckland-based Māori fashion entrepreneur who was part of a renaissance in Māori-influenced design during the 1970s. She ran a successful nationwide fashion business, selling garments which often incorporated Māori names, motifs and patterns. She was a role model for Māori women in business and was dedicated to serving her community.

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Barbara Shaw

She rose through the ranks of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress to become its Deputy Director. In addition she has held executive positions on the Aboriginal Legal Aid Service, Tangentyere Council and the Joint Aboriginal Management Information Services. She was involved with the development of the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association.

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Patricia Laura Te Waikapoata Hond

In 1987 she helped establish the Taranaki Activity Centre, an alternative education institution for teenagers failing in the state education system. She also served on the local Regional Employment and Access Council (REAC), the supervising committee for the ACCESS and MACCESS work schemes.
Appalled at the poor state of Māori culture and language in Taranaki, she formed the Te Reo o Taranaki organisation to promote and foster Māoritanga. As Māori adviser to the Taranaki Polytechnic, she successfully agitated for the establishment of a Māori studies department and found highly skilled tutors for the staff. Through such initiatives Hond assisted a Māoritanga renaissance in Taranaki, especially among the young.

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