Iriaka Rātana
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Iriaka Matiu Rātana (née Te Rio; 25 February 1905 – 21 December 1981) was a New Zealand politician and
Rātana Rātana () is a Māori Christian church and movement, headquartered at Rātana Pā near Whanganui, New Zealand. The Rātana movement began in 1918, when Tahupōtiki Wiremu (T. W.) Ratana claimed to experience visions, and began a mission o ...
morehu who won the Western Maori electorate for Labour in 1949. She succeeded her husband Matiu Rātana to become the first woman to represent Māori in the
New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament () is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Monarchy of New Zealand, Sovereign and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by his Governor-General of New Zeal ...
. She held the electorate until her retirement in 1969.


Early life

An entertainer from an early age, she was a member of the Rātana kapa haka groups and travelled with them throughout New Zealand and overseas. In 1925, she married
Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana (25 January 1873? – 18 September 1939) was the founder of the Rātana religion in the early 20th century in New Zealand. He rose to prominence as a faith healer. Beginnings Rātana was of the Ngāti Apa and Ngā ...
to become his second wife and had two children. Hamuera, the oldest died from tuberculosis in 1934, and the second, Raniera Te Aohou Ratana later became head of the Rātana church. Following her husband's death in 1939, Rātana married Matiu Rātana, a son of T. W. Rātana. The couple farmed until the death in 1945 of Matiu's elder brother, Toko Rātana who was Member of Parliament (MP) for the
Māori electorate 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 ...
of Western Maori. Matiu Rātana was elected in the 1945 election and held the seat until his accidental death in 1949.


Political career

Iriaka Rātana's decision to stand for parliament was opposed by those supporting traditional leadership roles, with Te Puea Hērangi speaking out against her claim to "captain the
Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...
canoe". Only the strong backing of the Rātana church and her threat to stand as a Rātana Independent secured her the Labour Party nomination. She won the Western Maori electorate for Labour in the 1949 general election. She succeeded her husband Matiu Ratana to become the first woman to represent Māori in the New Zealand parliament. She got a similar majority (6317) to her husband in 1946 (his majority was 6491), but no fewer than seven independent candidates stood against her; they got 116 to 326 votes each. In May 1959 she was injured in a three-car accident near Sanson in which three people were killed. Among those killed were her farm manager, Charles Larkin, and Larkin's adopted seven-year-old son, Rangi. Rātana and the others injured in the crash were taken to
Palmerston North Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...
Hospital. One of the others injured was Pat Curran, a Labour member of the
Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1989 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elec ...
. She was initially on the seriously ill list, but stabilised. As an MP, Rātana was concerned with welfare issues for Māori. She worked hard to improve living standards, particularly at the church settlement of Rātana Pā. She held the electorate until her retirement in 1969. Rātana was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
, for services to the Māori people, in the 1971 New Year Honours. She died on 21 December 1981 in Wanganui Hospital and was buried at Aramoho Cemetery.


References

* Henderson, James Mcleod (1963). ''Ratana The Man, The Church, The Movement'' (1st ed.) A.H & A.W. Reed Ltd . *''Women in Parliamentary Life 1970–1990: Hocken Lecture 1993'' by Marilyn Waring, page 34 (Hocken Library, University of Otago, 1994) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rātana, Iriaka Matiu 1905 births 1981 deaths New Zealand Labour Party MPs Rātana MPs Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for Māori electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire Burials at Aramoho Cemetery 20th-century New Zealand politicians 20th-century New Zealand women politicians People from Whanganui