| Hana Te Hemara | |
| Birth Name: | Hana Mere Te Hemara |
| Birth Date: | 16 February 1940[1] |
| Birth Place: | Puketapu, Bell Block, New Zealand |
| Death Date: | [2] |
| Death Place: | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Other Names: | Hana Mere Jackson |
| Known For: | Māori activist |
| Spouse: | Syd Jackson |
| Children: | 2 |
Hana Mere Te Hemara (16 February 1940 – 10 October 1999) was a prominent Māori activist and leader.
Te Hemara, of Te Āti Awa and Ngāti Raukawa descent, was the seventh of 12 children,[1] born in Puketapu and educated at the Waitara Convent.[3] [4] [5]
She grew up in Mangakino where her father worked on the dams at Karapiro and Mangakino[5] Later she worked as a telephone operator in various places[5] [1]
Te Hemara started studying at the University of Auckland in 1969[1] at the age of 30 to study politics[5] and New Zealand history.[3] Actively involved with Ngā Tamatoa.[5] She strongly supported Tino Rangatiratanga, the revival of the Māori language, and the Māori protest movement in general.[5] [2] [1] [3]
In the 1970s Te Hemara was one of the founding members of Ngā Tamatoa, a Māori activist group.[3] [6] The group organised protests at Waitangi.[7]
On 14 September 1972, Te Hemara along with Lee Smith, Rawiri Paratene and Syd Jackson presented a petition of over 30,000 signatures to parliament challenging the politicians to prioritise saving Te Reo Māori.[3] [8] This led to the day being declared Māori Language Day. Three years later, it was expanded to Māori Language Week.[5] [8] [3] [1] [2] [9] [10]
In 1979, Te Hemara joined the Māori Affairs Department with the Māori Language Commission, a result of her work.[2] She formed the first Māori Business and Professional Association in 1980 and organised Te Kopu Designers' Award for Māori designers in 1984.[3] [8] [2]
Te Hemara married Syd Jackson in 1961. Together they raised two children.[5] [3] She died in Auckland on 10 October 1999, aged 59.[1] [2] [11]