Samuel Moeke

Samuel Moeke, of Hastings, received the Queen's Service Medal on 25 March 2009 for services to Māori.  Mr Moeke has been involved in the Māori community as a master carver and expert in te reo in the Hawke's Bay region for more than 25 years.  He was the key carver for the Whare kai and Poupou for Mihiroa Marae and the Kohupatiki Marae.  He also trains and fosters young Māori carvers in the translation of genealogical history onto native timber.  Mr Moeke assisted with the translation and interpretation of four handwritten volumes of Te Kura used for an ancestral overview of Mohaka/Waikare Waitangi Tribunal hearing.