Our nation has a history of parallel worlds; cultures coexisting without truly connecting. Where we have met, too often it has been a collision, leading to generational misunderstanding, discord, and injustice. In order to cultivate a society that thrives together, we have to find ways to celebrate and benefit from our combined heritage.

Hon Tā Pita Sharples has lived with his feet in two worlds: a pioneering leader of Māori culture, and a respected academic, advisor, and politician within historically Western contexts. He brings this understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand to his vision of how we might connect our ways of living and offer each other the best of what we have.

HON TĀ PITA SHARPLES is a true leader, with mana and experience in many areas of New Zealand’s cultural, political and academic life. First trained as a teacher, he earned a Masters and PhD in Anthropology and Linguistics, and went on to be a Professor of Education at Auckland University—receiving a CBE for services to Māori in 1990 and knighted in 2015 for services as a member of Parliament and to Māori.

Tā Pita was the Iwi Leader of the Ngati Kahungunu Tribe of Wairoa-Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa from 1981 to 1990, and is best known for his roles as founding co-leader of the Māori Party, Minister of Māori Affairs, and Associate Minister of Education and Corrections.

Described as “kaumatua to the nation” and known as Papa Pita, Tā Pita Sharples has played a key role in the Māori renaissance of the last 40 years, operating as a bicultural advocate while working to reconnect Māori with the treasures of their cultural history. Founding CEO of the Race Relations Office, he spearheaded the first intertribal urban marae, and was a significant figure in the development of the kura kaupapa movement, the New Zealand School of Māori Weaponry, and the award winning Te Roopu Manutaki Māori cultural group. Member, advisor, and chairman of countless boards, initiatives, and advisory boards, his achievements are as varied as they are numerous.