Dame Mabel June Hinekahukura Mariu (née Waititi, born 1 June 1932), known by most as "Aunty June", 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 ...

community leader, teacher, former sportswoman and served as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for many years before retiring. Mariu has represented New Zealand in two sporting codes. As a

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

stalwart she was the first winning captain and the first Māori captain of the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

(now known as the Silver Ferns) in 1960. She also represented New Zealand in indoor basketball. She also played

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

regionally for Auckland and North Island teams. Mariu was inducted into the Māori Sports Awards Hall of Fame in February 2014 joining many other notable Māori sports people like Dame Ruia Morrison. Between 1987 and 1990, she served as 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 ...

. Mariu was appointed a member of the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission in 2000 by

Parekura Horomia Parekura Tureia Horomia (9 November 1950 – 29 April 2013) was a New Zealand Labour Party politician who served as Minister of Māori Affairs between 2000 and 2008. Early life Horomia was born in Tolaga Bay of Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga Hauiti, ...

. In the 1985 Queen's Birthday Honours, Mariu was awarded the

Queen's Service Medal The Queen's Service Medal is a medal awarded by the government of New Zealand to recognise and reward volunteer service to the community and also public service in elected or appointed public office. It was established in 1975 and is related to ...

for public services. In the 2006 New Year Honours, she was appointed 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 (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...

, for services to Māori and the community, and in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

she was promoted to Dame Companion presented by

Jerry Mateparae Lieutenant General Sir Jeremiah Mateparae (born 14 November 1954) is a former New Zealand soldier who served as the 20th Governor-General of New Zealand between 2011 and 2016, the second Māori person to hold the office, after Sir Paul Reeve ...

, also for services to Māori and the community. She continues to inspire many people from the grassroots up. Mariu has had strong ties with the

Māori King Movement The Māori King Movement, called the in Māori, is a movement that arose among some of the Māori (tribes) of New Zealand in the central North Island in the 1850s, to establish a role similar in status to that of the monarch of the British c ...

through the first Māori Queen,

Te Atairangikaahu Dame Te Atairangikaahu (23 July 1931 – 15 August 2006) was the Māori queen for 40 years, the longest reign of any Māori monarch. Her full name and title was Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Her title Te Arikinui (meaning ''Paramount C ...

, as well as through her iwi of Te Whānau a Apanui. She later became a member of the Tekau-Ma-Rua, a group of representatives from across the country, chosen by the current Māori King, Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII. Mariu was chosen to serve as the first patron to New Zealand's largest Māori public health body, Hāpai Te Hauora Tapui back in 2014. She had the honour of being officially appointed by King Tūheitia. Mariu was the representative for Hapai Te Hauora. Her relation

Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi Dame Iritana Te Rangi Tāwhiwhirangi (born 21 March 1929) is a New Zealand advocate of Māori language education and the Kōhanga Reo movement. Biography Born in Hicks Bay on 21 March 1929, Tāwhiwhirangi or auntie E is of Ngāti Porou, Ng ...

is also currently in this group as a companion member due to her work for

Māori language revival The Māori language revival is a movement to promote, reinforce and strengthen the use of te reo Māori, the Māori language. Primarily in New Zealand, but also in places with large numbers of expatriate New Zealanders (such as London and Melbou ...

. June Mariu has supported

Te Pāti Māori Te Pāti Māori (), also known as the Māori Party, is a political party in New Zealand advocating indigenous rights. It contests the specially reserved Māori electorates, in which its main rival is the Labour Party. Under the current leade ...

since its inception, including giving her support to the former ministers and co-leaders

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 ...

Pita Sharples Sir Pita Russell Sharples (born Peter Russell Sharples, 20 July 1941) is a New Zealand Māori academic and politician, who was a co-leader of the Māori Party from 2004 to 2013, and a minister outside Cabinet in the National Party-led governme ...

and

Te Ururoa Flavell Te Ururoa James William Ben Flavell (born 7 December 1955), also known as Hemi Flavell, is a New Zealand politician who was a co-leader of the Māori Party from 2013 until 2018 and represented the Waiariki electorate for the party in Parliamen ...

Personal

Mariu was born in

Wharekahika Wharekahika or Hicks Bay (officially Wharekahika / Hicks Bay) is a bay and coastal area in the Gisborne District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated 150 km east of Opotiki and 186 km north of Gisborne city, along State ...

on 1 June 1932. Her mother was Dorothy Waititi (née Tihore) of Wharekahika in

Ngāti Porou Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Porou is affiliated with the 28th Maori Battalion and has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi in New Zealand ...

, and her father was Manihera Waititi (older brother to Hoani Waititi) of

Cape Runaway Cape Runaway ( mi, Whangaparāoa) is the eastern extremity of the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island. It is located 157 kilometres northeast off Whakatāne and 65 kilometres west of East Cape. The name ''Cape Runaway'' was bestowed by E ...

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 ...

. Mariu spent her first few years living in Wharekahika with her maternal grandparents. Patihana Tihore her grandfather was of Ngāti Porou descent, and Alice Tihore (née Gill) of

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

was her grandmother. When her grandmother passed away in 1937, Mariu and her grandfather left Wharekahika to stay with her parents and younger brothers, Arthur and Winston, at Otamaroa, Cape Runaway. Mariu's

hapū In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally opera ...

are Te Whānau a Kauaetangohia (Cape Runaway) and Te Whānau a Tūwhakairiora (Wharekahika). Mariu left her East Coast homeland at the age of thirteen to attend Queen Victoria School for Māori Girls, a boarding school facilitated by the

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

, in

Parnell, New Zealand Parnell is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is one of New Zealand's most affluent suburbs, consistently ranked within the top three wealthiest, and is often billed as Auckland's "oldest suburb" since it dates from the earliest days of the ...

. After high school, Mariu went onto a sporting career before settling down in West Auckland as a teacher and later a community leader. June married her late husband, Joseph Mariu of

Ngāti Tūwharetoa Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua (Tarawera River) at Matatā across the central plateau of the North Isla ...

and

Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga 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 ...

at the now historical church in Raukokore in 1961. Joseph Mariu is a relative of the late Auxiliary Bishop of Hamilton, The Most Reverend

Max Mariu Max Takuira Matthew Mariu (12 August 1952 – 12 December 2005) was the Auxiliary Bishop of Hamilton, New Zealand (1988–2005). He was the first Māori to be ordained a Catholic bishop. Early life Mariu was born in Taumarunui in 1952 and hi ...

. The two settled in Te Atatū North (now Te Atatū Peninsula) in West Auckland amongst many other Māori who left their rural homelands for an urban setting. In 1962, June and Joseph had their first daughter Alice Mariu. Three years later in 1965 their second daughter, Jonyne Mariu was born. She was named after June's uncle, well known educator Hoani Waititi. Mariu still lives in

Te Atatū Peninsula Te Atatū Peninsula (formerly Te Atatu North) is a waterfront suburb of West Auckland surrounded by the Waitematā Harbour. The area was home to brickworks and farmland until the Northwestern Motorway was constructed in the 1950s, after which Te ...

with her daughters Alice and Jonyne, and three grandchildren.

Sports

Netball

"June Mariu’s selection as the 22nd Silver Fern had historical significance for the New Zealand team. With the first team to be selected since 1948, the 1960 edition proved the turning point for Netball in New Zealand and with it, the start of the modern era for the sport in this country. Playing under the recently-adopted international rules of seven-a-side, the 1960 Silver Ferns set off across the Tasman for a 15-game tour 22 years after their historic first-ever Test against Australia. Elevated from the Auckland provincial team, shooter Mariu, 28, was named the Silver Ferns fifth captain and entrusted with leading a 10-strong team on their trailblazing mission. It was the first national team to undertake a full scale tour, which included three Tests and 12 other games, the team from 1960 representing a new breed of player and laying the foundation for the game as we know it today. Growing up in Hicks Bay on the East Coast, she was a natural athlete from early on and, as well as Netball, went on to become a national softball and indoor basketball representative. Well suited to the playmaking role of goal attack, she had the distinction of becoming New Zealand’s first winning captain when the Silver Ferns prevailed 49-40 in the first Test, on the grass centre tennis court in Adelaide. In mirroring the trans-Tasman rivalry that has long since continued, they lost the second Test in Melbourne 44-39 and suffered a heart-breaking 46-45 loss in the final Test. On returning home, she married and retired from international Netball but her passion remained strong and she moved into coaching at school, Club and provincial level with great success while also becoming a Silver Ferns selector." After her playing years she was appointed Auckland Netball coach where she masterminded the effective playing strategy of full court zone defence that lead her team to National Championship titles and can still be seen today to full effect in international netball play. Mariu has coached some notable players over the years like

Yvonne Willering Yvonne Mignon Willering (born 15 January 1950) is a Dutch-born New Zealand netball coach and former representative netball player. Willering played for the New Zealand national netball team – the Silver Ferns – from 1974 to 1983. She was c ...

and

Te Aroha Keenan Te Aroha Keenan is a New Zealand former netball coach and member of the Silver Ferns in the 1980s. She later coached the Cook Islands national team at the 1999 Netball World Championships, as well as a multinational Team Pasifika in a test ser ...

. June has always dreamt that one day New Zealand will finally have Māori Netball teams playing on a world stage, similar to the

Māori All Blacks The Māori All Blacks, previously called the New Zealand Maori, New Zealand Maoris and New Zealand Natives, are a rugby union team from New Zealand. They are a representative team of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and a prerequisite for playing i ...

in rugby. She has always believed that "We are two nations, one country" in accordance to Tiriti o Waitangi. Māori or the Tangata Whenua, and Tauiwi or the Tangata Tiriti.

Indoor Basketball

Mariu represented the country in Indoor Basketball.

Softball

Mariu was a North Island Softball representative between 1956 and 1957.

Māori Women's Welfare League

June Mariu served as the 12th National President of the

from 1987 until 1990. Her predecessor was the late Dame Georgina Kirby, who started the Māori Women's Development Initiative (MWDI), and her successor was the late Dame Aroha Reriti-Crofts. In 1987, following the publication of "Rapuora - Health and Māori Women" by past president Dr Erihapeti Rehu-Murchie, a partnership proposal based on Healthy Lifestyles for the prevention of cardio-vascular disease among Māori was accepted by the then Department of Health. Mariu lead the initiative as her commitment to making a healthy lifestyle difference for Māori women and their families using netball as the vehicle of change. Thus the beginning of Aotearoa Māori Netball Oranga Healthy Lifestyle (AMNOHL) in 1988. For many years she was the National Coordinator of Aotearoa Māori Netball. Through AMNOHL, Aotearoa has seen some of our best Māori players on the international stage. Players like Waimarama Taumaunu, Dame Noeline Taurua,

Jenny-May Clarkson Jenny-May Clarkson (born Jenny-May Coffin; 9 April 1974) is a New Zealand netball player, sports commentator and television presenter. Clarkson previously played for the Silver Ferns, New Zealand's national netball team, for which she was the ...

, and Temepara Bailey. Mariu was the president of the Te Atatu Branch for fifteen years and Regional Secretary for the Tāmaki Makaurau Region for two years. Both the MWDI and AMNOHL are two of the leagues most important assets, and still run to this day. Other notable Past Presidents of the Māori Women's Welfare League:

Dame Whina Cooper Dame Whina Cooper (9 December 1895 – 26 March 1994) was a respected ( Māori elder), who worked for many years for the rights of her people, and particularly to improve the lot of Māori women. She is remembered for leading the 1975 Māori ...

(Founding President), Dame Mira Szászy, Dame Georgina Kirby, Dame Aroha Reriti-Crofts and Dame Areta Koopu. Patrons of the Māori Women's Welfare League include: Te Ariki Te Puea Herangi (Princess; Founding Patroness), followed by

Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu Dame Te Atairangikaahu (23 July 1931 – 15 August 2006) was the Māori King Movement, Māori queen for 40 years, the longest reign of any Māori people, Māori monarch. Her full name and title was Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Her tit ...

(Māori Queen), and the current patron is Makau Ariki Atawhai Paki (Wife of Kiingi Tuheitia). All are representatives of Te Kiingitanga.

West Auckland

In her time in West Auckland, Mariu taught at many schools before finally settling at Rutherford High School (now Rutherford College) in Te Atatū Peninsula. She originally taught health and physical education before being asked to take on Te Reo Māori instead. Some famous past students of her classes include actor and comedian

Pio Terei Pio Keith Terei (born 1958) is a Māori actor, singer and comedian on New Zealand television. Early career Early in his working life he sold light commercial trucks for 14 years. In 1995 Terei headlined his own TV3 show ''Pete and Pio'' wi ...

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Cindy Kiro Dame Alcyion Cynthia Kiro (; Simpson; born 1958) is a New Zealand public health academic, administrator, and advocate, who has served as the 22nd governor-general of New Zealand since 21 October 2021. Kiro is the first Māori woman, the third ...

, and through her community ties include rugby player

Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate Te Kura Rongo Ngata-Aerengamate (born 21 October 1991) is a New Zealand rugby footballer who has represented New Zealand in rugby union and the Cook Islands in rugby league. Personal life Ngata-Aerengamate taught at Tangaroa College and now ...

. Mariu was integral in establishing one of the very first mainstream school

marae A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...

at Rutherford College, Te Kotuku Marae, as well as one of the very first Te Reo Māori classes in a mainstream school in Aotearoa. Alongside many others, Mariu has helped strengthen Te Reo Māori and Te Ao Māori in her community. Mariu was the founding chairwoman for the Te Whānau o Waipareira Trust, of which she is now an Honorary Board Member. She also has strong ties to the Hoani Waititi Marae in Glen Eden alongside the likes of

. The marae was named after her late uncle. Hoani Waititi is the proud home of a Kōhanga Reo,the very first Kura Kaupapa Māori in Aotearoa, and the very first Wharekura in Aotearoa as well. Before retirement, she spent her last working days as a lay advocate helping youth in the justice space at Hoani Waititi Marae. Namely the Te Kooti Rangatahi / Youth Courts. Her nephew Kawana Waititi carved a pou for the marae. Mariu has had some notable past and present members of parliament as her neighbours and whānau: The Hon. Tau Henare, Tukuroirangi Morgan and The Hon. John Tamihere. Her nephew

Rawiri Waititi Rawiri Wikuki Waititi (born ) is a New Zealand politician, iwi leader, Ringatū minister, and kapa haka exponent. He is a co-leader of Te Pāti Māori alongside Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for since 20 ...

is the current co-leader of Te Pāti Maori. A former member of parliament and minister of the crown

Tuariki Delamere Tuariki John Edward Delamere (born 9 December 1951) is a former New Zealand politician. He served as a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1996 to 1999, and was a member of Cabinet for the duration of his term. Early life Delamere was b ...

is from the same iwi as Mariu, Te Whanau a Apanui. During her time living in Auckland, Mariu has also had connections with Dame Naida Glavish as mana whenua,

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei or Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei is an Auckland-based Māori hapū (sub-tribe) in New Zealand. Together with Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa and Te Taoū, it comprises the iwi (tribe) of Ngāti Whātua. These four hapū can act togethe ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mariu, June 1932 births Living people Te Whānau-ā-Apanui people People from Hicks Bay New Zealand international netball players New Zealand women's basketball players New Zealand justices of the peace Recipients of the Queen's Service Medal Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit People of the Māori Women's Welfare League Ngāti Porou people

June June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in ...

New Zealand Māori netball players