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First wāhine Māori MPs honoured in Parliament today


Hon Te Ururoa Flavell

Minister for Māori Development

Minita Whanaketanga Māori
11 February 2015


First wāhine Māori MPs honoured in Parliament today

Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell is delighted to unveil the portraits of two remarkable wāhine Māori who helped change the political and social landscape of Aotearoa.

The photographs of Hon Iriaka Rātana and Hon Whetū Tirikātene-Sullivan will adorn the walls of Parliament’s former Māori Affairs Committee, Matangireia.

“These women were trailblazers of their time. They led the way on issues that remain a priority today such as te reo Māori, education, employment and electoral representation,” he says.

“Their portraits are the first images of wāhine Māori to grace the walls of Matangireia alongside prominent male leaders like Tā Apirana Ngata, Tā Timi Kara and Eruera Tirikātene,” says Mr Flavell.

The late Iriaka Rātana was the first Māori woman to enter Parliament in 1949, and represented the Western Māori electorate for 20-years.

“She was an advocate for the Treaty of Waitangi and in her time she drew Parliament’s attention to land issues, housing concerns as well as the poor living standards at Rātana Pā”.

The late Whetū Tirikātene-Sullivan began her career in Parliament in 1967, winning the Southern Māori seat.

“She was the first female Māori Cabinet Minister, and she was instrumental in the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal.

She also advocated for Māori news on television and radio, and was also a pioneer of health promotion for tāngata whenua,” he says.

Minister Flavell says he is delighted these two women are taking their rightful place alongside other prominent Māori politicians.

ends

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