Whare Marama Leonard-Higgins (1928–2012) was an elder in the Ngāi Tahu

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 ...

of the South Island of New Zealand.

Life

Leonard-Higgins attended Moeraki Primary School in the small coastal community of Moeraki. She won a scholarship for secondary school tuition and studied at Te Waipounamu Maori Girls' School, where she was head girl in her final year. She then studied at

Christchurch Teachers' College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

and completed primary school teacher training. Leonard-Higgins initially taught in the North Island at

Te Puke Te Puke is a town located 18 kilometres southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty of New Zealand. It is particularly well-known for the cultivation of Kiwifruit. Te Puke is close to Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, and Maketu, whi ...

, Te Whaiti and Murupara. In 1950 she married Thomas Higgins and returned to Moeraki, where she had three children. In her role of elder at Moeraki Marae, Leonard-Higgins cared for the church on the marae, hosted visitors and provided guidance and advice to the community. She also continued to teach at the local primary school.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonard-Higgins, Marama Ngāi Tahu people People from Otago 1928 births 2012 deaths