Pou Temara
New Zealand Māori academic (born 1948)
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Sir William Te Rangiua "Pou" Temara KNZM (born 1948) is a New Zealand academic. He was professor of Māori language and tikanga Māori (practices) at the University of Waikato,[1] and is a cultural authority on whaikōrero (oratory), whakapapa (genealogy) and karakia (prayers and incantations).[2] Prior to working at Waikato, he taught at Victoria University of Wellington,[3] and at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. He is currently professor of Māori philosophy at Awanuiārangi.[4] He is a member of the Ngāi Tūhoe iwi (tribe).[5]
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Sir Pou Temara | |
|---|---|
Tā Pou Te Rangiua Temara | |
Temara in 2021 | |
| Born | William Te Rangiua Temara 1948 (age 77–78) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | |
Early life
Temara was born in 1948,[6] the son of George Temara,[7] a WWII veteran of the Māori Battalion,[8] and Puti (Nani) Tinimēne. He was his mother's first child and so, as was common Māori practice in those times, was raised by her parents, Tamahou Tinimēne and Pareraututu.[6][7] When he was about 10 months old, his grandparents and he moved from Ruatāhuna to a small clearing in the Te Urewera forest between Maungapōhatu and Rūātoki, where there was just the three of them. They lived in a dwelling made of forest materials, with an earth floor, where, in observance of tapu, they did not eat inside, but cooked and ate in a lean-to outside.[6][3] When he was eight years old, and having spoken only Māori, they moved back to Ruatāhuna, where he attended Huiarau Native School and learnt English for the first time.[9] When he was 15, he went to Wesley College in Auckland as a boarder.[6][9] He did teacher training at the Wellington College of Education, then studied at Victoria University of Wellington, during which time he also worked at the Gear Meat Company works in Petone.[6] His uncle Makarini Temara was on the first Waitangi Tribunal in 1975.[10]
Professional life
Temara has been a member of the Waitangi Tribunal since 2008[4] and is currently chair of the Repatriation Advisory Panel at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.[5][11] He is a member of the Tūhoe Waikaremoana Māori Trust Board and chair of Te Hui Ahurei a Tūhoe within his iwi (tribe), Ngāi Tūhoe.[5] He is a member of the Tekau-mā-rua, having first been appointed by Kīngi Tūheitia.[12]
Television
He was the presenter of Korero Mai, Television New Zealand's first Māori language series.[13]
Honours
In the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours, Temara was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Māori and education.[14] In the 2021 New Year Honours, he was promoted to Knight Companion.[15] He is a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand.[16]