August 22, 2022
I Am Hana to honour reo warrior
Hana Te Hemara, the instigator of Nga Tamatoa’s Māori language petition 50 years ago, is to be remembered with a five-storey mural in her hometown.
Graham Hoete, the artist known as Mr G, is painting the I Am Hana mural outside the Puke Ariki library and museum complex in downtown New Plymouth.
Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa chair, Liana Poutu says it will be accompanied by a fortnight of events to mark the half-century of the petition, including a panel discussion with some of Ms Te Hemara’s surviving Nga Tamatoa comrades.
She says it’s a time for the beneficiaries of the Māori language revival to reflect on the struggle,
“This time is really an acknowledgement to all that and we’re humbled Nga Tamatoa want to be here in Ngamotu among Puketapu, Ngati Te Whiti and Te Atiawa to commemorate her and the broader kaupapa of Nga Tamatoa and the petition,” Ms Poutu says.
The I Am Hana project, which runs from August 30 to September 15, will also include an exhibition of photos of Nga Tamatoa by John Miller.