Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngā Puhi) is synonymous with the Kohanga Reo (Language Nest) movement, which at its peak had over 300 active centres throughout the country. A champion of te reo Māori, at the tender age of 83 years old, Dame Iritana continues to fight for the language, recently taking the Crown to task, through the Waitangi Tribunal, which in her opinion “has undermined kohanga by trying to marginalise it into Pakeha early childhood education.”
Insignia of a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori education was awarded to Iritana in 2010. She also has an Honorary Doctorate of Literature by Victoria University of Wellington, 2007 and the Te Tohu Tiketike a Te Waka Toi award for Māori artists by Creative New Zealand in 2008.
Hāpori Tū Rangatira: Confident Communities has been Dame Iritana’s life work and we are privileged to have her as our keynote speaker at this year’s Conference.