The late Muriel (Pimia) Wehi, Auckland, MNZM
Mrs Wehi’s medal was received by her daughter, Ms Karen Wehi
For services to Māori. Mrs Wehi is a prominent figure in Māori arts and music, with a special interest in performing arts. For 29 years she has guided thousands of Māori youth through the group Te Waka Huia, fostering a sense of pride, self worth and individual identity. She and her husband are the only people to have won the Aotearoa Traditional Māori Performing Arts Festival six times. They led performance groups representing New Zealand at four South Pacific Festivals, the opening of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, and the closing of the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada. Mrs Wehi received a Queen’s Service Medal for services to Māori in 2002 and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Massey University in 2001.