Rahera Windsor (born Rahera Honi Heta; 13 March 1925 – 3 May 2004) was a kuia (female elder) of the

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 in the United Kingdom, and one of the founding members of

Ngāti Rānana Ngāti Rānana is a Māori people, Māori cultural group based in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It is open to the Māori community in the city, and hosts events attended by many non-Māori. The club aims to provide "an environment to ...

Biography

Windsor was born at Pupuke, near

Kaeo Kaeo (Māori: ''Kāeo'') is a township in the Far North District of New Zealand, located some northwest of Kerikeri. The town takes its name from the ''kāeo'' or New Zealand freshwater mussel, which is found in the nearby rivers. Sanfords Fi ...

, in Northland, New Zealand, in 1925. She left Northland for

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

at an early age, and thereafter moved to the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

where she worked as a land girl on a large farm north of the

Waiau Uwha River Waiau Uwha River, previously known as the Waiau River, is a river in north Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand. The Waiau Uwha River rises in the Spenser Mountains and flows eastward to the Pacific Ocean. The Waiau Uwha River has th ...

. She married a British naval engineer in 1951, subsequently relocating to the United Kingdom. Soon after her arrival in Britain, Windsor became actively involved in the celebration and promotion of Māori cultural and spiritual interests, and was a founding member of Ngāti Rānana. She led the club's concert party in cultural performances across Britain and Europe, and was also active in Te Kauri

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 ...

, the Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship, the

Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne ...

and the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

. Windsor died in London on 3 May 2004, at the age of 79.

Honours and legacy

Windsor was the first Māori to be elected an honorary member of the New Zealand Society in London, and was recognised for her contributions to the development of the relationship between

and Ngāti Hinemihi. In the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours, she 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 community service. The Rahera Windsor Award for New Zealand Studies has been issued by the New Zealand Studies Association since April 2005, and is named in her honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Windsor, Rahera 1925 births 2004 deaths People from the Northland Region New Zealand expatriates in England Recipients of the Queen's Service Medal British people of Māori descent