March 29, 2022
Dame June Jackson could talk up a house
A long time friend of the late Dame Temuranga June Jackson says she made an extraordinary impact on the lives of those in her community and the nation.
AUT University Associate Professor Ella Henry says she met Dame June in the 1980s, along with other wahine of that generation who brought their country Māori mana to the cities and set about creating places and spaces for urban Māori.
She says Manukau Urban Māori Authority and Ngā Whare Waatea Marae are a living testament to her vision and drive.
“She told me the story about how she caught a flight to Wellington and the bloke sitting next to her, she didn’t realise it at the time, was someone very important in construction and she told him she needed some wood to build a whare because they had just received the land in Māngere and by the end of the journey she had convinced him to give her $100,000 of timber, which back in the 1980s was a lot of timber,” Dr Henry says.
Dame Temuranga ‘June’ Batley Jackson will return to Ngā Whare Waatea this afternoon to lie in honour until her nehu on Friday.
Those wishing to pay their respects should contact the marae for details on times and Covid protocols.