Donna Awatere Huata
Encyclopedia
Donna Lynn Awatere Huata (sometimes written Awatere-Huata, previously known as Donna Awatere; born 1949) is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament for the ACT Party, former activist for Māori causes, and convicted fraudster.
in 1949, and was educated in Auckland
. Her primary area of study was education, particularly educational psychology
, but she has also undertaken study in opera
tic singing and film production.
Her father, Colonel Arapeta Awatere DSO MC, was a prominent member of the Māori Battalion
, but also a violent husband and authoritarian father. In 1969 he was convicted of the murder of his mistress's lover and sent to jail, where he eventually died.
, including the group Nga Tamatoa
. She was a leading protester against the 1981 Springbok Tour
, and in 1984 she published Maori Sovereignty, which became a key text in the Māori protest movement. She was also involved in feminist
politics, and Maori Sovereignty was originally written for the feminist magazine Broadsheet. She was critical of white feminists who ignored issues of race, and expressed the opinion that the problems facing Māori were more important than those facing women and other marginalised groups. In Maori Sovereignty she is generally critical of the established left.
After the publication of Maori Sovereignty, Awatere retired from protest and became a biculturalism
consultant for various organisations, including the New Zealand Treasury
and the New Zealand Police
. She also developed a children's reading programme, which she later promoted through the Pipi Foundation. During this period she married Wi Huata and changed her surname from Awatere to Awatere Huata.
, Awatere Huata joined the ACT New Zealand party. This surprised many commentators, as ACT was not generally associated with the sort of cause that Awatere Huata had previously supported. She was ranked in fourth place on ACT's party list, and stood as a candidate in the Māori electorate of Te Puku O Te Whenua
. She was not successful in her electorate race, but entered Parliament as a list MP. In the 1999 elections
, she retained her fourth place ranking on the party's list, and consequently remained in Parliament. In the 2002 elections
, she was lowered to fifth place on the list, but nevertheless remained in parliament comfortably.
. Due to a poorly defined Act of Parliament on Waka-jumping
there were a series of legal battles around Huata's right to remain in Parliament as an Independent List MP. These culminated in one of the Supreme Court's first major decisions in 2004 and she was removed from Parliament, giving the ACT Party a new MP, Kenneth Wang
until the 2005 New Zealand Election.
Huata was charged by the Serious Fraud Office
and later convicted of fraud after taking $80,000 from the Pipi Foundation, a Government funded charity, she had set up as an MP in 1999. The media reported that "Some of the stolen money was used to pay for Awatere Huata's stomach stapling operation and some was used to pay state-integrated school fees for the couple's children." On 3O September 2005, she was sentenced to 2 years 9 months in jail alongside her husband, Wi Huata, who received 2 years with the ability to apply for home detention. On 16 May 2006, she was released on home detention and after her sentence was completed in February 2009, she was able to set up a correspondence teaching centre "The Learning Post". In October 2010 another school she was heavily involved in was forced to go into liquidation.
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Early life
Donna Awatere was born in the city of RotoruaRotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
in 1949, and was educated in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. Her primary area of study was education, particularly educational psychology
Educational psychology
Educational psychology is the study of how humans learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of teaching, and the social psychology of schools as organizations. Educational psychology is concerned with how students learn and develop, often focusing...
, but she has also undertaken study in opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic singing and film production.
Her father, Colonel Arapeta Awatere DSO MC, was a prominent member of the Māori Battalion
Maori Battalion
The 28th Battalion, more commonly known as the Māori Battalion, was an infantry battalion of the New Zealand Army that served during the Second World War. It was formed following pressure on the Labour government by some Māori MPs and Māori organisations throughout the country wanting a full Māori...
, but also a violent husband and authoritarian father. In 1969 he was convicted of the murder of his mistress's lover and sent to jail, where he eventually died.
Activism
From the 1970s Awatere became involved in the Māori protest movementMaori protest movement
The Māori protest movement is a broad indigenous rights movement in New Zealand. While this movement has existed since Europeans first colonised New Zealand its modern form emerged in the early 1970s and has focused on issues such as the Treaty of Waitangi, Māori land rights, the Māori language and...
, including the group Nga Tamatoa
Nga Tamatoa
Ngā Tamatoa was a Māori activist group that operated from the early 1970s until 1979, and existed to fight for Maori rights, land and culture as well as confront injustices perpetrated by the New Zealand Government, particularly violations of the Treaty of Waitangi.Nga Tamatoa emerged out of a...
. She was a leading protester against the 1981 Springbok Tour
1981 Springbok Tour
The 1981 South African rugby union tour of New Zealand was a controversial tour of New Zealand by the South Africa national rugby union team, known as "the Springboks"...
, and in 1984 she published Maori Sovereignty, which became a key text in the Māori protest movement. She was also involved in feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
politics, and Maori Sovereignty was originally written for the feminist magazine Broadsheet. She was critical of white feminists who ignored issues of race, and expressed the opinion that the problems facing Māori were more important than those facing women and other marginalised groups. In Maori Sovereignty she is generally critical of the established left.
After the publication of Maori Sovereignty, Awatere retired from protest and became a biculturalism
Biculturalism
Biculturalism in sociology involves two originally distinct cultures in some form of co-existence.A policy recognizing, fostering or encouraging biculturalism typically emerges in countries that have emerged from a history of national or ethnic conflict in which neither side has gained complete...
consultant for various organisations, including the New Zealand Treasury
New Zealand Treasury
The New Zealand Treasury is a public sector organisation and the Government’s lead advisor on economic and financial policy. Its role is to help the Government improve economic performance and manage scarce resources...
and the New Zealand Police
New Zealand Police
The New Zealand Police is the national police force of New Zealand, responsible for enforcing criminal law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace throughout New Zealand...
. She also developed a children's reading programme, which she later promoted through the Pipi Foundation. During this period she married Wi Huata and changed her surname from Awatere to Awatere Huata.
Parliament
Shortly before the 1996 electionNew Zealand general election, 1996
The 1996 New Zealand general election was held on 12 October 1996 to determine the composition of the 45th New Zealand Parliament. It was notable for being the first election to be held under the new Mixed Member Proportional electoral system, and produced a parliament considerably more diverse...
, Awatere Huata joined the ACT New Zealand party. This surprised many commentators, as ACT was not generally associated with the sort of cause that Awatere Huata had previously supported. She was ranked in fourth place on ACT's party list, and stood as a candidate in the Māori electorate of Te Puku O Te Whenua
Te Puku O Te Whenua
Te Puku O Te Whenua or "the belly of the land" was one of the five new New Zealand Parliamentary Māori electorates created in 1996 for MMP. It was replaced in the 1999 election.-Population Centres:The electorate includes the following population centres:...
. She was not successful in her electorate race, but entered Parliament as a list MP. In the 1999 elections
New Zealand general election, 1999
The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance...
, she retained her fourth place ranking on the party's list, and consequently remained in Parliament. In the 2002 elections
New Zealand general election, 2002
The 2002 New Zealand general election was held on 27 July 2002 to determine the composition of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the reelection of Helen Clark's Labour Party government, as well as the worst-ever performance by the opposition National Party.Arguably the most controversial...
, she was lowered to fifth place on the list, but nevertheless remained in parliament comfortably.
Pipi Foundation Affair
In 2003 Huata was expelled from the Act party on allegations of Fraud to her charity the Pipi Foundation which at the time was under investigaiton by the Serious Fraud OfficeSerious Fraud Office
The Serious Fraud Office may refer to:*Serious Fraud Office *Serious Fraud Office...
. Due to a poorly defined Act of Parliament on Waka-jumping
Waka-jumping
New Zealanders speak colloquially of waka-jumping when elected politicians switch political parties between elections .The advent of MMP in New Zealand parliamentary politics in the 1990s — culminating in the use of...
there were a series of legal battles around Huata's right to remain in Parliament as an Independent List MP. These culminated in one of the Supreme Court's first major decisions in 2004 and she was removed from Parliament, giving the ACT Party a new MP, Kenneth Wang
Kenneth Wang
Kenneth Xiaoxuan Wang was a New Zealand politician and businessman, and a member of the ACT New Zealand party. He entered Parliament to replace Donna Awatere Huata, who was expelled from Parliament on 19 November 2004. Wang was sworn in on 30 November 2004.Wang was born in China, and has three...
until the 2005 New Zealand Election.
Huata was charged by the Serious Fraud Office
Serious Fraud Office
The Serious Fraud Office may refer to:*Serious Fraud Office *Serious Fraud Office...
and later convicted of fraud after taking $80,000 from the Pipi Foundation, a Government funded charity, she had set up as an MP in 1999. The media reported that "Some of the stolen money was used to pay for Awatere Huata's stomach stapling operation and some was used to pay state-integrated school fees for the couple's children." On 3O September 2005, she was sentenced to 2 years 9 months in jail alongside her husband, Wi Huata, who received 2 years with the ability to apply for home detention. On 16 May 2006, she was released on home detention and after her sentence was completed in February 2009, she was able to set up a correspondence teaching centre "The Learning Post". In October 2010 another school she was heavily involved in was forced to go into liquidation.
Published works
}- Awatere Huata's contribution is a paper entitled: "Common sense in education."
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- Awatere Huata's contribution is a paper entitled: "Maori client needs of the future."
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- Awatere Huata's contribution is a paper entitled: "Kiwi myth or New Zealand dream?"
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- As part of this Television New Zealand Maori programme (made at the Kokohinau Marae near Te TekoTe TekoTe Teko is a small inland township in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. According to the 2001 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings, its population is 627, a decrease of 3 from the previous census in 2001...
, Awatere Huata was interviewed about her book, My journey (for details of the book, see below)
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- This is another iteration of the Ashley Heenan recording listed below.
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- The first three parts of this book were originally published in the New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
feministFeminismFeminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
magazine, Broadsheet.
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- "This paper was prepared for the Public Service in a Multicultural Society conference, State Services Commission, March 1982" (p.4).
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- Awatere's contribution is a paper entitled: "Maori Land March, 1975."
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- Awatere Huata (and five other women) was initially interviewed in 1976 for a documentary series: this production is an update on her (and their) life and times.
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- Awatere's contribution is as one of the vocal soloists on the sixth track.
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- Awatere Huata's contribution is a paper entitled: "Walking on eggs." This volume has an introduction by Dale SpenderDale SpenderDale Spender is an Australian feminist scholar, teacher, writer and consultant.-Early life:Spender was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, a niece of the crime writer Jean Spender . The eldest of three, she has a younger sister Lynne, and a much younger brother Graeme. She attended the Burwood...
.
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