Dame Georgina Manunui te Heuheu (née Manunui, born 1943) is a New Zealand

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 ...

politician. She was a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) from the

New Zealand National Party The New Zealand National Party ( mi, Rōpū Nāhinara o Aotearoa), shortened to National () or the Nats, is a centre-right political party in New Zealand. It is one of two major parties that dominate contemporary New Zealand politics, alongside ...

List, and a Cabinet Minister in the

New Zealand Government , background_color = #012169 , image = New Zealand Government wordmark.svg , image_size=250px , date_established = , country = New Zealand , leader_title = Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern , appointed = Governor-General , main_organ = , ...

Early life

Born Georgina Manunui in 1943, she is the daughter of George Manunui of Waitahanui. She is a member of the

Ngāti Tuwharetoa Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori culture, Māori society. In Māori-language, Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and ...

tribe of the central

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

and is also related to

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'').Tuhoe tribes. She was born and raised at Taurewa, near

Mount Tongariro Mount Tongariro (; ) is a compound volcano in the Taupō Volcanic Zone of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located to the southwest of Lake Taupō, and is the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the landscape of the ...

, and received her secondary schooling at

Turakina Maori Girls' College Turakina Māori Girls' College (1905 to 2016) was a Presbyterian boarding school for young Māori women. The school was founded in Turakina, New Zealand, in 1905, by A. G. Hamilton.. It was relocated to Marton in 1927, but retained its previous n ...

(1956–59) and

Auckland Girls' Grammar School "Through trials to triumph" , colours = gold, navy blue , type = State single-sex girls' secondary school (Years 9–13) , established = 1878 , address = Howe Street, Newton, Auckland , coordinates = , principal = Ngaire Ashmore ...

(1960–61). She graduated from

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 ...

with a BA in English and an

LLB Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the China, People's Republic ...

, being the first

woman to gain a law degree and be admitted to the High Court as barrister and solicitor.

Professional life

Before being elected to Parliament, te Heuheu practised law 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 ...

and

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 ...

. She was a member of the

Waitangi Tribunal The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: ''Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi'') is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on cla ...

(1986–96).

Member of Parliament

Georgina te Heuheu was first elected to Parliament in 1996. She was the Minister for Courts and for Women's Affairs (1998–1999) during the Fourth National Party Government. Speculation about her future arose in 2004 after she criticised then leader

Don Brash Donald Thomas Brash (born 24 September 1940) is a former New Zealand politician who was Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the New Zealand National Party from October 2003 to November 2006, and the Leader of ACT New Zealand from April to No ...

's Orewa Speech. Questioned some weeks later, she refused to rule out the possibility that she might switch allegiance to the new

Māori Party 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 Co ...

, which had formed after the resignation of

Tariana Turia Dame Tariana Turia (born 8 April 1944) is a New Zealand politician. She was first elected to Parliament in 1996. Turia gained considerable prominence during the foreshore and seabed controversy in 2004, and eventually broke with the Labour P ...

. However she remained with National for the 2005 election and served as a backbencher for the party, serving as a Spokeswoman for Broadcasting, Associate Spokeswoman for Defence, Treaty of Waitangi Issues and Māori Affairs (Māori Development). From 19 November 2008 until the 2011 election she was the Minister for Courts, Minister of Pacific Island Affairs,

Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control The Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control is a minister (government), minister in the government of New Zealand. The portfolio was established after the declaration of the New Zealand nuclear-free zone and passing of the New Zealand Nuclea ...

, and Associate Minister of Māori Affairs in the National Party Government led by

John Key Sir John Phillip Key (born 9 August 1961) is a New Zealand retired politician who served as the 38th prime minister of New Zealand, Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016 and as Leader of the New Zealand National Party from 2006 to ...

. Te Heuheu announced she would retire at the 2011 election.

Life after Parliament

Te Heuheu was appointed chairwoman of

Māori Television 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 Co ...

in 2012 and now also sits on several Māori Trust Boards and Charity Committees including the Tuwharetoa Māori Trust Board. In her capacity as chairwoman she has been leading a review of Māori Television services and its operational structure to see whether better outcomes can be achieved for the station.

Private life

She married Timoti ("Timi") te Heuheu, brother of Sir

Tumu te Heuheu Tumu may refer to: *Tumu, Ghana, town in Ghana, upper west region. *Tumu, Libya, a checkpoint on the Libya–Niger border *Tumu Crisis The Crisis of the Tumu Fortress (), also known as the Tumu Crisis (; mn, Тумугийн тулалдаан ...

, a Ngāti Tuwharetoa leader and son of Sir Hepi Te Heuheu. He died in 2012. They had two sons.

Honours

In the 1993 Queen's Birthday Honours, te Heuheu 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 public services. In the

2018 New Year Honours The 2018 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 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 celebratio ...

, she was appointed a

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 the State and Māori.

References

External links

Profile
at National party * {{DEFAULTSORT:Te Heuheu, Georgina 1943 births Living people Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand New Zealand National Party MPs Victoria University of Wellington alumni Women government ministers of New Zealand Māori MPs 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Companions of the Queen's Service Order People educated at Auckland Girls' Grammar School New Zealand list MPs Ngāti Tūwharetoa people Māori politicians Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives 21st-century New Zealand politicians 21st-century New Zealand women politicians Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the Waitangi Tribunal Te Heuheu family New Zealand Māori women lawyers