Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi
He maimai aroha tēnei ki a Kahurangi Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi.
E te māreikura e tangi tōnu ana ngā roimata aroha. E moe.
On Saturday 1 February 2025, Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi, a founder of the Kōhanga Reo movement, passed away aged 95. Her funeral service was held on Friday 7 February before she was laid to rest at the Porourangi Tawhiwhirangi Urupa alongside her late husband Porourangi Tawhiwhirangi and her two children Tangopahika (Boy) and Heni Whakamaungarangi.
Dame Iritana was born at Wharekāhika on the East Coast, a descendant of Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāpuhi.
She was a life member of the Māori Women’s Welfare League, a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and was made a Dame Companion in 2009 for services to Māori education.
Whānau said in a tribute that they were deeply proud of all her work and accomplishments, particularly raising her children and mokopuna.
“She did all of this without her late husband by her side, while leading, contributing and supporting Māori development through kaupapa such as Te Kōhanga Reo, Māori Women’s Welfare League, Tu Tangata and many other kaupapa.
“She had high expectations and demanded the best for, and of, Māoridom. She worked tirelessly to strengthen whānau, and she was adamant that whānau knew what was best for them and that they only needed to be empowered and enabled to do so.
“She challenged the status quo and pushed for better outcomes for whānau. She gave her life to the greater cause, ensuring Māoridom achieved independence and self-determination with a flourishing reo. Her passion was the development of whānau, community and iwi.”
Dame Iritana began teaching in the 1940s and became a welfare officer in Ruatōria, developing playcentres on the East Coast. The first Kōhanga Reo was opened in April 1982 in Wainuiomata and the Secretary for Māori Affairs at the time, Kara Puketapu, engaged Dame Iritana to promote Kōhanga Reo throughout the country. At its peak, Kōhanga Reo had more than 300 active centres throughout the country.
In 2010 Dame Iritana told Waka Huia her greatest wish was that the movement was carried by all Māori.
“There is a mutual ground where Māori and Pākehā can meet to resolve past issues; there are benefits there for us all but first we have the massive task of unifying our people,” she said.
The Insignia of a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori education was awarded to Dame Iritana in 2010. She was also awarded an Honorary Doctor of Literature from Victoria University of Wellington, 2007 and received the Te Tohu Tiketike a Te Waka Toi award for Māori artists from Creative New Zealand in 2008.
At the age of 83, Dame Iritana opened the ACE Sector Conference in 2013. The theme was Hāpori Tu Rangatira: Confident Communities. This theme was a reflection of her life’s work, and we were incredibly privileged to have her as our keynote speaker.
ACE Aotearoa co-chairs Kathryn Hazlewood (Tangata Tiriti Co-Chair) and Jay Rupapera (Tangata Whenua Co-Chair) said that Dame Iritana was an incredible and effective advocate who achieved phenomenal results in the learning sector. Her unstinting contribution enabled the development of strong partnerships that facilitated the growth of successful co-governance leadership in many sectors.