Sir Mark Wiremu Solomon (born ) is a New Zealand

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 Co ...

leader from the

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori people, Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim, New Zealand, Blenhe ...

and

Ngāti Kurī Ngāti Kurī is a Māori people, Māori iwi from Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. The iwi is one of the five Muriwhenua iwi of the far north of the North Island. Ngāti Kurī trace their whakapapa (ancestry) back to Pōhurihanga, the ca ...

(Kaikōura)

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

. He served as kaiwhakahaere (chairperson) of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, the tribal council of Ngāi Tahu, for approximately 18 years, from 1998 until December 2016. His departure as tribal chair followed his decision in April 2016 not to seek re-election as the tribal representative for Kaikōura. Solomon continues to act in various directorship roles including as chair of the

Canterbury District Health Board The Canterbury District Health Board (Canterbury DHB or CDHB; ) was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of New Zealand, north of the Rangitata River. It was responsibl ...

Personal life

Solomon was born in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, New Zealand.I am Ngāi Tahu
. Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. Retrieved 3 January 2013. His mother was of English and Danish descent,Mark Solomon Biography
Retrieved 3 January 2013. and his father was Māori, affiliated to the

and

iwi. Solomon has been married to Maria since about 1974 and has four grown-up children. He is an uncle of New Zealand cricketer

Shane Bond Shane Edward Bond (born 7 June 1975) is a New Zealand cricket coach and former cricketer and present bowling coach of Rajasthan Royals, described as "New Zealand's best fast bowler since Sir Richard Hadlee", and often among the greatest fast b ...

Career

For over 20 years, Solomon was a foundry metal worker. In 1995, he was elected to Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu as the local representative for Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura, a position which he held till February 2016. Three years later, he was elected chairman of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. The same year,

settled its

Treaty of Waitangi claim A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

with the Crown for $170 million. By the end of 2012, under Solomon's chairmanship, the iwi's commercial assets had appreciated to an estimated $809 million. Solomon's other roles have included being a board member of the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa ( Māori for ' the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum of New Zealand ...

from 2001 to 2007, as well as directorships of a number of companies.

Honours

In November 2012, Solomon was named as the 'Visionary Leader of 2012' in the Deloitte and ''New Zealand Management'' magazine national business awards. In the

2013 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

, Solomon was appointed a

Knight 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 th ...

, for services to Māori and business.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solomon, Mark 1950s births Living people Ngāi Tahu people People from Christchurch Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand people of Danish descent New Zealand people of English descent Canterbury District Health Board members Year of birth missing (living people)