Hiria Hape, Taneatua, QSO, for services to the State
Ms Hiria Hape is currently the Senior Advisor for Māori Relationships at Te Puni Kōkiri, the Ministry of Māori Development. In her role, she supports the Prime Minister and the Governor-General on tikanga Māori matters. Prior to undertaking her current role at Te Puni Kōkiri, Ms Hape was the Senior Manager of the Māori Cultural Perspective Unit for the Ministry from 2001 until 2004. From 1999 to 2000 she was executive manager of the Tuhoe Education Authority. She held the ombudsman role of Te Kaiwawao as part of Massey University Wellington’s Executive Management Group from 1998 to 2001. Before Wellington Polytechnic merged with Massey University she held the Te Kaiwawao role for the polytechnic from 1996 to 1998. She was Head of the School of Māori Studies at Wellington Polytechnic from 1991 to 1996 and a senior lecturer. She completed her Masters of Education at Victoria University of Wellington in 1998 and her thesis ‘Māori Learning Styles’ was the first written for the Faculty of Education entirely in te reo Māori. Ms Hape was a regional kapa haka judge from 1995 to 2006 and is a Justice of the Peace.