Turuhira Hare (born ) is a Māori academic of performing arts, composition and education. She is of
Tūhoe,
Te Arawa and English and Scottish descent and is a daughter of the late renowned Tūhoe kaumātua,
Te Uruhina McGarvey. She is a leading figure in her community and is renowned for her contribution to the arts of
kapa haka and education.
History
Immersed in the field of tikanga Māori and performing arts, Turuhira was fed through the ranks of the
Ruatoki
Ruatoki or Rūātoki is a district in the eastern Bay of Plenty of New Zealand, just south of the small town of Tāneatua and approximately 20 km south of the city of Whakatāne. The Whakatāne River runs northwards through the Ruatoki Valle ...
Māori Cultural Group established in the late 1940s to the early 1950s. She became head of the cultural group following the death of the former head and great kaumātua, Tikina Heremia. She was bestowed with this position, and to this day has retained it since the late 1970s. Turuhira continues to contribute her knowledge and dedicate her life and time to Māori performing arts and education.
Turuhira is a former principal and deputy principal of
Te Wharekura o Ruatoki
Te Wharekura o Ruatoki is a rural school in the Māori settlement of Ruatoki in the Eastern Bay of Plenty region, New Zealand, serving children in years 1 through 13. It was established as Ruatoki Native School in 1896 after a visit by Richard Sed ...
school. In the mid-1980s she worked with former Ruatoki school principal Tawhirimatea Williams and Māori educator
Kaa Williams
Kaa Kataraina Kathleen Williams is a New Zealand television presenter on Māori Television on the show '' Manu Rere''.
Biography
She is of Ngāi Tuhoe and Ngāti Manawa descent. Williams is a winner of the Best Reo Māori Television Presenter ...
. They together revitalised the Māori language in the school which later became the first bilingual school in New Zealand.
Turuhira has also held numerous leading positions in the field of kapa haka. This includes judging at Te Hui Ahurei ā Tūhoe and been head judge of the Rangitaiki primary kapa haka competition. She is also head judge of the Primary and Secondary National Kapa Haka competition. She has also judged at
Te Matatini for over a decade and continues to do so.
On many kapa haka occasions, she has won the title of best female leader at the Tūhoe Ahurei and senior Mataatua kapa haka festivals. She is the only leader to take the title more than three consecutive competitions. In February 2009, she won the
Te Matatini title for best female leader and later decided to retire from the stage – from having performed for 39 years. She continues to contribute her knowledge to the Ruatoki cultural group and now remains a mentor. In an interview with Movie Producer
Vincent Ward, Turuhira appeared in the 2008 documentary
Rain of the Children.
Personal life
Turuhira resides in the
Whakatāne region and is a wife, mother and grandmother and dedicates her life to her family.
References
External links
Te Matatini 2009Whaikorero 2014Te Kapahaka o Ruatoki 2017Rotorua Daily Post 2014Radio NZ 2016Maori Television 2015
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hare, Turuhira Julie
1950 births
Living people
New Zealand musicians
New Zealand Māori schoolteachers
Ngāi Tūhoe people
New Zealand schoolteachers