Sir James Clendon Tau Henare, (18 November 1911 – 2 April 1989) was a New Zealand tribal leader, military officer, farmer and community leader. He fought for four years with the Māori Battalion during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, was wounded at

El Alamein El Alamein ( ar, العلمين, translit=al-ʿAlamayn, lit=the two flags, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Arab's Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. , it had ...

, and with the rank of lieutenant colonel was the battalion's commanding officer when the war ended. He stood for Parliament for the National Party in the Northern Maori electorate on several occasions: , , , , and the 1963 by-election. 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, Henare identified with the Ngāpuhi

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

. He was born in

Motatau Motatau or Mōtatau is a locality in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Maromaku is to the east. The Taikirau Stream flows from east through Motatau and then runs northwest to join the Waiharakeke Stream. The North Auckland L ...

, Northland, the son of

Taurekareka Henare Taurekareka "Tau" Henare (1878 – 12 January 1940) was a Māori member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1914 to 1938, sitting for the Reform Party for most of that time, until it merged with the United Party to form the National Party in 1 ...

. He was educated at

Sacred Heart College, Auckland , motto_translation = Take Courage And Act Manfully , type = State-integrated Day & boarding Secondary school , religion = Roman Catholic Marist , gender = Boys-only , patr ...

and at

Massey Agricultural College Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

. In the 1966 Queen's Birthday Honours, Henare 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 Māori people. In the

1978 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1978 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginn ...

, he was promoted to

Knight 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 ...

, for services to the community, especially Māori affairs.

Tau Henare Raymond Tau Henare (born 29 September 1960) is a former New Zealand Māori parliamentarian. In representing three different political parties in parliament—New Zealand First, Mauri Pacific and the National Party—Henare served as a Member o ...

, a member of parliament between 1993 and 2014, is his great-nephew. Peeni Henare, who was elected to parliament in , is a grandson.

References

1911 births 1989 deaths New Zealand farmers People from the Northland Region Ngāpuhi people New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand Māori soldiers Māori politicians New Zealand National Party politicians New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand Army officers Unsuccessful candidates in the 1963 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1951 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1949 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1946 New Zealand general election Massey University alumni People educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland {{Māori-bio-stub