Tewi Te Whare
Tewi Te Whare, of Rotorua, received the Insignia of a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori. Mr Te Whare has been the Chief Negotiator for Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa, an umbrella organisation of 11 affiliate Te Arawa hapu. He has advocated on behalf of his people for more than 20 years especially in resolving their historical Treaty of Waitangi claims with the Crown. This resulted in a settlement for Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Tūhoe, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Whare, Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Raukawa and Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa. His involvement with the Kaingaroa Forest estate claims process began in the 1990s. He is currently the General Manager of Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa Trust. He sits on the Boards of Te Arawa Fisheries, Ngāti Tahu Tribal Trust and the Iwi Authority Board of the Waiariki Institute of Technology. Mr Te Whare maintains a kaumātua role which requires him to act as spokesperson for a range of forums on behalf of his people.