Ihakara Puketapu
Encyclopedia
Ihakara Porutu Puketapu is a leader of the Te Āti Awa
iwi
in Waiwhetū
, New Zealand
. He has a doctorate from the University of Chicago
.
Puketapu grew up in Taranaki and rose through the ranks of the Ministry of Maori Affairs (later named the Ministry of Māori Affairs and ultimately Te Puni Kōkiri) to become Secretary of Maori Affairs. During his time he chaired the management committee of Te Maori
, the first international exhibition of Māori objects as art. After a triumphant run at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, Saint Louis Art Museum
and the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, Te Maori
toured New Zealand.
Puketapu also rose in standing within his iwi, to become chairperson of the Te Āti Awa
Runanga (tribal council). The Te Āti Awa Runanga run a primary health organisation
in their Waiwhetū
area and a radio station (Atiawa Toa FM). Recently they have clashed with local authorities over the custodianship of waka
.
Puketapu was top rugby league player in his youth, and later became involved in coaching. Puketapu became involved with the Wainuiomata Lions
both as a coach and serving as President. During the 1995 Lion Red Cup
Puketapu briefly served as the coach of the Hutt Valley Hawks
.
In 2008, Puketapu resigned from the Port Nicholson Block Treaty Settlement Trust http://pnbc.co.nz/ chaired by Sir Ngatata Love over the compensation for Waiwhetū land confiscated by the Crown in the 1940s.
Te Ati Awa
Te Āti Awa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Taranaki and Wellington regions of New Zealand. Approximately 17,000 people registered their affiliation to Te Āti Awa in 2001, with around 10,000 in Taranaki, 2,000 in Wellington and around 5,000 of unspecified regional location.-Geographical...
iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
in Waiwhetū
Waiwhetu
Waiwhetū is a suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington situated at the bottom of the North Island of New Zealand.Waiwhetū is largely built on land that set aside as a native reserve for the Te Āti Awa tribe in the 1840s. In the 1930s the land was compulsorily acquired by the government, with new homes...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New 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...
. He has a doctorate from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
Puketapu grew up in Taranaki and rose through the ranks of the Ministry of Maori Affairs (later named the Ministry of Māori Affairs and ultimately Te Puni Kōkiri) to become Secretary of Maori Affairs. During his time he chaired the management committee of Te Maori
Te Maori
Te Maori was a watershed exhibition of Māori art in 1984 . It is notable as the first occasion on which Māori art had been exhibited by Māori the first occasion on which Māori art was shown internationally as art...
, the first international exhibition of Māori objects as art. After a triumphant run at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, Saint Louis Art Museum
Saint Louis Art Museum
The Saint Louis Art Museum is one of the principal U.S. art museums, visited by up to a half million people every year. Admission is free through a subsidy from the cultural tax district for St. Louis City and County.Located in Forest Park in St...
and the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, Te Maori
Te Maori
Te Maori was a watershed exhibition of Māori art in 1984 . It is notable as the first occasion on which Māori art had been exhibited by Māori the first occasion on which Māori art was shown internationally as art...
toured New Zealand.
Puketapu also rose in standing within his iwi, to become chairperson of the Te Āti Awa
Te Ati Awa
Te Āti Awa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Taranaki and Wellington regions of New Zealand. Approximately 17,000 people registered their affiliation to Te Āti Awa in 2001, with around 10,000 in Taranaki, 2,000 in Wellington and around 5,000 of unspecified regional location.-Geographical...
Runanga (tribal council). The Te Āti Awa Runanga run a primary health organisation
Primary Health Organisation
Primary Health Organisations , in New Zealand, are health care providers that are funded on a capitation basis by the New Zealand Government via District Health Boards...
in their Waiwhetū
Waiwhetu
Waiwhetū is a suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington situated at the bottom of the North Island of New Zealand.Waiwhetū is largely built on land that set aside as a native reserve for the Te Āti Awa tribe in the 1840s. In the 1930s the land was compulsorily acquired by the government, with new homes...
area and a radio station (Atiawa Toa FM). Recently they have clashed with local authorities over the custodianship of waka
Waka (canoe)
Waka are Māori watercraft, usually canoes ranging in size from small, unornamented canoes used for fishing and river travel, to large decorated war canoes up to long...
.
Puketapu was top rugby league player in his youth, and later became involved in coaching. Puketapu became involved with the Wainuiomata Lions
Wainuiomata Lions
The Wainuiomata Lions are a New Zealand rugby league club based in Wainuiomata, Wellington. They compete in the Wellington Rugby League competition.-Noted Players:...
both as a coach and serving as President. During the 1995 Lion Red Cup
1995 New Zealand rugby league season
The 1995 New Zealand rugby league season was the eighty eighth season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the second season of the Lion Red Cup competition that was run by the New Zealand Rugby League...
Puketapu briefly served as the coach of the Hutt Valley Hawks
Hutt Valley Firehawks
The Hutt Valley Firehawks were a New Zealand rugby league club that represented Hutt Valley in the Lion Red Cup from 1994 to 1996. In 1995 there nickname was shortened to just "Hawks" and 1996 they were known as the Hutt Valley Dolphins....
.
In 2008, Puketapu resigned from the Port Nicholson Block Treaty Settlement Trust http://pnbc.co.nz/ chaired by Sir Ngatata Love over the compensation for Waiwhetū land confiscated by the Crown in the 1940s.