Dame Areta Koopu (née King; born 8 March 1941) is a New Zealand social worker and

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 ...

activist. She was a member of the

New Zealand Māori Council The New Zealand Māori Council is a body representing and consulting the Māori people of New Zealand. The council is one of the oldest Māori representative groups. Recently, the council increased its focus on social challenges and issues that ...

from 1987 to 1992, National President 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 ...

from 1993 to 1996, and a Human Rights Commissioner from 1996 to 2001. In the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours, Koopu was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for services to the community. In the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed

Dame 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 rend ...

, for services to Māori and the community. She is also a recipient of the

New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 was established by Royal Warrant on 1 July 1993. It was created to commemorate Women's suffrage in New Zealand and to recognize those New Zealand and Commonwealth citizens who had made a significant ...

. Koopu was born in Gisborne on 8 March 1941, the daughter of Wiremu and Ngaro Alice King. She was educated at

Gisborne Girls' High School Gisborne Girls High School is a girls' secondary school situated in Gisborne, New Zealand. It was founded in 1956 when Gisborne High School was split into two single-sex schools. History Gisborne Girls High School celebrated its 50th Jubilee i ...

, and married Hoera Koopu in 1961. The couple went on to have five children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koopu, Areta 1941 births Living people People from Gisborne, New Zealand People educated at Gisborne Girls' High School Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Māori activists New Zealand social workers New Zealand Māori women Recipients of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 People of the Māori Women's Welfare League