Hohi Ngapera Te Moana Keri Kaa (194226 August 2020) was a New Zealand writer, educator, and advocate for the

Māori language Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...

. She was of

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

Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The tribe is organised into six geographical and administrative di ...

descent.

Family and education

Kaa was born in 1942 in

Rangitukia Rangitukia is a small settlement 10 kilometres south of East Cape in the northeast of New Zealand's North Island. It is near the mouth of the Waiapu River. The settlement is an important place in Ngāti Porou and the founding place for Christian mi ...

on New Zealand's

East Cape East Cape is the easternmost point of the main islands of New Zealand. It is located at the northern end of the Gisborne District of New Zealand's North Island. It can also refer to the broader Gisborne cape. East Cape was originally named "C ...

. Her father was the Reverend Tipi Whenua Kaa, from Rangitukia, who was vicar of the Waiapu parish and her mother Hohipene Kaa (formerly Whaanga) was from

Wairoa Wairoa is a town and territorial authority district in New Zealand's North Island. The town is the northernmost in the Hawke's Bay region, and is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of ...

. Kaa was one of 12 children: her siblings include her late brother

Hone Kaa Archdeacon Hone Kaa (9 April 1941 – 29 March 2012) was an Auckland-based Anglican church leader, child welfare advocate and social-justice campaigner. He was a Māori of Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Kahungunu descent. Born to Rev. Tipi (whenua) a ...

, Anglican church leader and child welfare advocate, her late sister

Arapera Blank Arapera Hineira Blank (; 7 June 1932 – 30 July 2002) was a New Zealand poet, short-story writer and teacher. She wrote in both Māori language, te reo Māori and English, and was one of the first Māori writers to be published in English. Her ...

, a writer and poet, and her late brother

Wi Kuki Kaa Wi Kuki Kaa (16 December 1938 – 19 February 2006) was a New Zealand actor in film, theatre and television. He was from the Māori iwi of Ngati Porou and Ngati Kahungunu. Family Kaa was born in Rangitukia on New Zealand's East Cape. His fa ...

, a well-known actor. Kaa attended Queen Victoria School for Māori Girls and

Auckland Girls' Grammar "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 ...

. She spent a year in America after high school on an

American Field Service AFS Intercultural Programs (or AFS, originally the American Field Service) is an international youth exchange organization. It consists of over 50 independent, not-for-profit organizations, each with its own network of volunteers, professiona ...

scholarship and then attended Ardmore Teachers' College where in her second year she became the first woman to be the College President. She graduated with her teaching diploma in 1964; in 2013 she completed a Master of Arts through Te Wānanga o Raukawa.

Career

Kaa taught at primary schools in Rangitukia, Wellington and the Hawke's Bay, and secondary schools in the Hutt Valley. For fifteen years she was a lecturer at

Wellington Teachers College Wellington College of Education (formerly Wellington Teachers' Training College) was established in 1888 with the purpose of educating teachers in New Zealand. It became the Faculty of Education of Victoria University of Wellington, formed from th ...

, where she played a significant part in the founding and running of the college

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 ...

, Te Ako Pai. During her time in Wellington Kaa was involved with the Haeata Women's Collective (a group of Māori women artists), the ''Herstory'' diary project, and the Waiata Koa collective. After returning to Rangitukia, Kaa both taught and studied at the Te Wananga o Raukawa campus at

Hicks Bay 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 Stat ...

. In addition to her education work, Kaa was also involved in Māori theatre, film-making and television. Her contribution was recognised in 2010 when she was profiled by

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 ...

for their series on Māori leaders 'E Tu Kahikitea'. Her contribution was also recognised with two special awards from WIFT (Women in Film and Television) New Zealand. Kaa was also a strong advocate for the Māori language (''te reo Māori''). Her children's book ''Taka Ki Ro Wai'', written in the Waiapu dialect of Māori, won the inaugural Māori language category in the

New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a series of literary awards presented annually to recognise excellence in children and young adult's literature in New Zealand. The awards began in 1982 as the New Zealand Governme ...

and recognised in the National Design Awards for creative director Martin Page's work. The book was selected by the German Internationale Jugendbibliothek (International Youth Library) in its annual list of 'recently published books considered noteworthy due to their universal theme or their exceptional artistic and literary style'. Kaa died on 26 August 2020, aged 78.

Awards and recognition

* 2016 Ngā Tohu ā Tā Kingi Ihaka (Lifetime of service to Māori arts), 2016

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

Te Waka Toi Awards * 2014 Inaugural Māori Language Award for the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults * 2013 Women in Film & Television (WIFT) New Zealand Mana Wahine Award * 2012

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 arts, in the

2013 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Hon ...

* 2010 WIFT Te Whaea Whakaata Taonga Award * 2000

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 the

2001 New Year Honours The 2001 New Year Honours List is one of the annual New Year Honours, a part of the British honours system, where New Year's Day, 1 January, is marked in several Commonwealth countries by appointing new members of orders of chivalry and recipient ...

Family and education

Career

Awards and recognition

References

Further reading