Titewhai Te Huia Hinewhare Harawira

Moe mai rā, Titewhai Harawira: Titewhai Te Huia Hinewhare Harawira was born in Whakapara, Northland, in 1932. After training as a nurse, she married Māori Batallion veteran John Puriri Harawira in 1952, and chose to settle in the west Auckland suburb of Avondale. The couple went on to have eight children, including politician and social activist Hone, and anti-violence campaigner Hinewhare. As part of Ngā Tamatoa, Titewhai helped gather 30,000 signatures from across Aotearoa in 1972 for the Māori Language Petition, seeking to have te reo Māori taught in schools. The petition was delivered to Parliament with the support of kaumātua, and September 14, 1972, was declared Māori Language Day. Three years later, it was expanded to Māori Language Week. Titewhai Harawira also organised and helped lead the 1975 land hīkoi from Te Hāpua, Northland, to Wellington to protest the alienation of Māori land, famously led by Dame Whina Cooper. Source: Glenn McConnell and Karanama Ruru via Stuff.

Sources

1. Glenn McConnell and Karanama Ruru. (2013). Moe mai rā, Titewhai Harawira via Stuff https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/300791568/moe-mai-r-titewhai-hara...