Dr Patu Hohepa honoured for services to Māori culture, education
The kaumātua is being knighted for his services to Māori culture and education.
A leader in the 'Māori renaissance' he was the first to advocate for a marae at Auckland University.
In the 1980s, he wrote a report for the government on the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal, and repeal of the Māori Affairs Act.
From 1997 to 2007, he served as the commissioner of the Māori Language Commission, heavily promoting te reo Māori and developing proficiency testing.
He served as a member of Te Waka Toi, the Māori Board of Creative New Zealand from 2004 and 2008.
He has been a kaumātua for a large number of organisations, including as a member of the Māori Cultural Advisory Group of Auckland Art Gallery.
Part of this role included leading the New Zealand delegation accompanying an exhibition of fifty portraits of Māori by pre-eminent painter Gottfried Lindauer to Europe in late 2014.
In 2015 dismissed former prime minister John Key's idea of bringing in a new flag and instead said the country's first flag - the flag of the United Tribes was appropriate.
Dr Hohepa continues to teach te reo Māori and has received awards for his contributions to strengthening Te Reo Rangatira.
