Anne Anituatua Delamere (15 May 1921 – 26 May 2006) was a New Zealand public servant.
Born in
Rotorua
Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...
on 15 May 1921, Delamere was of
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
descent, affiliating to
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui is a Māori iwi (Iwi is the Maori word for tribe) located in the eastern Bay of Plenty and East Coast regions of New Zealand's North Island. In 2006, the iwi registered 11,808 members, representing 13 hapū.
History
Early ...
and
Te Arawa
Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori iwi and hapu (tribes and sub-tribes) of New Zealand who trace their ancestry to the Arawa migration canoe (''waka''). She was educated at Queen Victoria School in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, and saw military service in the
New Zealand Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force was the female auxiliary of the Royal New Zealand Air Force during the Second World War. Established in 1941, it began with an initial draft of 200 women, reaching a peak strength of about 3,800, with a total of ab ...
between 1942 and 1947. She was based at Defence Headquarters in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
, working in the team that coordinated the Māori war effort.
In 1950, Delamere was recruited as a welfare officer by the
Department of Maori Affairs
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
and initially worked in Whakatane. She was closely involved in the foundation of the
Māori Women's Welfare League
The Māori Women’s Welfare League or Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko I te Ora is a New Zealand welfare organisation focusing on Māori women and children. It held its first conference in Wellington in September 1951.
The League's official aims ...
in 1951. She was awarded a tertiary scholarship and studied at
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand.
The university is well know ...
from 1958 to 1959, where she completed a Diploma of Social Science.
After completing her diploma, Delamere remained in Wellington at the Department of Maori Affairs. In 1961, she was involved in the establishment of the Māori Education Foundation, and she was also involved with liaising between Maori Affairs and a wide range of government and community groups. She rose to become a senior executive officer in the Department of Maori Affairs.
In the 1985 Queen's Birthday Honours, Delamere was appointed a
Companion of the Queen's Service Order
The Queen's Service Order, established by royal warrant of Queen Elizabeth II on 13 March 1975, is used to recognise "valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to the Crown or similar services within the pu ...
for community service. In the
2004 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2004 were appointments by some of the Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations ...
, she was appointed a
Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...
, for services to Māori. She was also conferred life membership of the Māori Women's Welfare League.
Delamere died in Wellington on 26 May 2006.