Two prominent iwi leaders have been recognised at Government House for their enduring service to Māori and their wider communities.
Arihia Bennett and Dr Taku Parai have been appointed Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in the New Year honours, acknowledging their decades of leadership, advocacy, and dedication to advancing their people’s aspirations.
Bennett (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi) was the first female and longest-serving chief executive of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. She is widely credited with advancing mana motuhake within the iwi and was chair of the Ministerial Advisory Group to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attack.
Upon taking on the role of chief executive in 2012, Bennett said her vision for Ngāi Tahu was to achieve rangatiratanga.
“Self-determination is something that we are all working towards. Generationally, if I think about the deed of settlement, it wasn’t just at that moment back in 1997/98, it was actually all of those generations before, who actually stood firm in their sense of self-determination. It’s our duty as stewards, as parents and grandparents, to be able to continue to breathe that life into generations going forward,” she said.
Ngāti Toa Rangatira kaumātua Dr Taku Parai was also recognised for having chaired Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, and playing a key role in the iwi’s Treaty settlement process. In 2014, the iwi received more than $70 million in financial redress, with Parai also guiding the iwi through the critical early post-settlement period.
He described serving his iwi and community as his greatest achievement.
“E kore, me kī, he tohu [mōku] anake. He tohu maumahara ki a rātou kei mua i a au. E tino mihi ana ki tō mātou nei whānau i manaaki, i tautoko.”
Service to the Community
Bennett, who was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2008, has held numerous leadership roles, including as chief executive of He Oranga Pounamu, an iwi-mandated organisation delivering health and social services across the South Island.
Reflecting on her appointment as chief executive of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, she said it was the ideal opportunity to serve her people.
“I saw my role as a service to the community. So, it was just another way and another opportunity to bring a leadership dimension role for women and also contributing back to Ngāi Tahu, its development.”
Parai has long been a dedicated advocate for Porirua, serving as chair of the Porirua City Council’s Treaty Partnership Group and as kaumātua and mana whenua representative on the council.
Currently, Pou Tikanga for Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, he acknowledged those who paved the way before him.
“I te wā nei, e mihi ana ki a rātou, ngā mātua tūpuna. Me kī, ka maumahara ki a rātou e mahingia ana kei runga i te marae, hei manaaki, hei tiaki, me ngā rōpu katoa ka tae mai, me kī, ki Takapūwāhia.”
List of recipients
- Mrs Arihia Bennett, of Kaiapoi, CNZM, for services to Māori, governance and the community
- Mrs Marguerite Christophers, of Pegasus, ONZM, for services to Para sports
- Mrs Prue Lamerton, of Havelock North, ONZM, for services to nuclear medicine
- Dr Taku Parai, of Porirua, for services to Māori, ONZM, governance and the community
- Mr Peter Allen, of Palmerston North, MNZM, for services to disabled people
- Mrs Paula Baker, of Hamilton, MNZM, for services to health governance and the community
- Mr Richard Bull, of Mangawhai, MNZM, for services to conservation and the community
- Mr Philip Chapman, of Nelson, MNZM, for services to health
- Mr Lachie Marshall, of Christchurch, MNZM, for services to water polo
- Mrs Cynthia Brooks, of Renwick, KSM, for services to local government and historical research
- Mr Peter Hensman, of Havelock North, KSM, for services to cricket and the community
- Mr Jeremy Johnson, of Auckland, KSM, for services to the Anglican Church and the LGBTQI+ community
- Mr Richard Steele, of Ōwhango, KSM, for services to the rural community
