16/04/2026
Mr Joe Harawira, of Whakatāne, KSO for services to Māori education, arts and conservation.
Mr Joe Harawira (Ngāti Awa, Ngai Te Rangi, Ngāti Maniapoto, Tūhourangi) taught in Māori language immersion schools and helped to develop bilingual and Kaupapa Māori education across the Waikato region. As kaumātua and organiser of Mataatua Mokopapa wānanga through Te Ahi Mānuka, he has helped to reclaim tā moko as a tool for identity and intergenerational connection. He led Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato’s kapa haka, was a Head Judge at Te Matatini, and chairs He Awhi Tikanga Committee for Toi Māori Aotearoa. He has chaired Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa through several major events. With Kahui Kaupapa Atawhai, he has integrated mātauranga into the Department of Conservation’s work. Mr Harawira drove the reopening of Māori boys’ boarding school St Stephen’s and was Kāhui Māori Pou Tikanga for Sustainable Seas.
