Erihapeti Rehu-Murchie (30 December 1923 – 5 July 1997) was a

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Point ...

leader, health researcher, actor, composer and human rights commissioner. She was president of the Māori Women's Welfare League from 1977 to 1980 and research director from 1981 to 1985.

Personal life

She was born at Arowhenua, on 30 December 1923. She studied at Arowhenua Native School, and Temuka District High School. From 1944 to 1945, she studied at Christchurch Teachers’ College where she met and married Malcolm McGregor Murchie, a pākeha with whom she went on to have ten children.

Work and activism

While working as a teacher she also acted and directed plays. She played Aroha Mataira in ''The Pohutukawa Tree'' by

Bruce Mason Bruce Edward George Mason (28 September 1921 – 31 December 1982) was a significant playwright in New Zealand who wrote 34 plays and influenced the cultural landscape of the country through his contribution to theatre. In 1980, he was appoi ...

. Rehu-Murchie joined the Māori Women's Welfare League at a young age, and in the early 1970s supported the Māori Language Petition of her second cousin Hana Te Hemara. She also voiced the opposition of the league to

All-Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

tours to

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. In 1977 she became president of the league. In 1979 she publicly supported the student activism of Ngā Tamatoa in the controversy around the haka party incident and later opposed the

1981 Springbok Tour The 1981 South African rugby tour (known in New Zealand as the Springbok Tour, and in South Africa as the Rebel Tour) polarised opinions and inspired widespread protests across New Zealand. The controversy also extended to the United States, wh ...

. Following her three-year term as president, she became the league's research director from 1981 to 1985. During this time she wrote and directed a research initiative into the health of Māori women, eventually penning the landmark report ''Rapuora: Health and Māori Women''. In 1988, she was appointed to the

Human Rights Commission A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...

. She travelled to indigenous meetings under the UN and was an early proponent of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. She died on 5 July 1997.

Honours

In the 1990 New Year Honours, Rehu-Murchie 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 1990, she was conferred an honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

degree by

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 kno ...

, and in 1993 she was awarded the

New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 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 ...

. She was made a

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 the community, in the

1997 Queen's Birthday Honours The 1997 Birthday Honours were announced on 14 June 1997 for the United Kingdom and on 2 June 1997 for New Zealand.New Zealand list: Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in the United King ...

. A fellowship in Māori health, awarded by the

Health Research Council of New Zealand The Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) is a Crown agency of the New Zealand Government. It is responsible for managing the government's investment in health research for the public good. The HRC was established under the Health Resear ...

, is named in her honour.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rehu-Murchie, Erihapeti 1923 births 1997 deaths Ngāi Tahu people People from Temuka University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand Māori public servants New Zealand Māori actresses New Zealand theatre directors New Zealand women theatre directors Companions of the Queen's Service Order Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit Recipients of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 People educated at Opihi College