Since 1881, Ngāti Whātua had been at the forefront of action over tribal land loss, hosting an assembly of Māori chiefs at Kohimarama. By 1900, their land holdings had diminished to Ōkahu Bay in Ōrākei, and the government and Auckland City Council were determined to remove them from there, building a sewerage pipe across the front of the village, and refusing to connect them to the city’s fresh water supply. But Ngāti Whātua would not leave. This was their whenua (land).
Lisa Reihana (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāi Tū), Member and Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, is a contemporary multimedia artist from Aotearoa New Zealand, known for her innovative approach to blending traditional Māori art and storytelling with modern technology, and prompting people to revisit and reframe both history and modern-day life. Her work has won her global recognition and cemented her status as one of New Zealand’s most important cultural figures.
Known for her break-out role in Xena: Warrior Princess (1995), you’d be forgiven for thinking Lucy Lawless, Member of the New Zealand Order of Meri, hails from somewhere in North America, but Lucille Ryan was born in Auckland on 29 March 1968, the fifth of seven siblings, and the eldest girl to Frank and Julie Ryan.
For decades Aotearoa New Zealand has been producing world-class opera singers who have opened the door for future generations to perform.
Actor Temuera Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Rārua), Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, was born into a family of performers on 26 December 1960. His grandmother Kahu had been singing professionally from the age of 16, and his father Laurie was a founding member of the Howard Morrison Quartet, a popular singing group set up by Howard Morrison (Temuera’s uncle) in 1956.
New Zealander Fred Hollows, AC, was an internationally renowned eye surgeon and humanitarian who devoted his life to giving back the gift of vision to those who were needlessly blind. He believed that anyone should have the right to quality, affordable eye care and through his efforts, he restored sight to thousands of people around the world and trained other eye doctors to do the same.
