View source for Whina Cooper

{{Short description|New Zealand Māori leader (1895–1994)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{use New Zealand English|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name        = Dame Whina Cooper
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|ONZ|DBE|size=100%}}
| image       = Whina Cooper in Hamilton.jpg
| image_size  =
| alt         = Whina Cooper addressing the Māori Land March at Hamilton in 1975
| caption     = Whina Cooper addressing the [[Māori land march]] at Hamilton in 1975
| birth_name  = Hōhepine Te Wake
| birth_date  = {{birth date|1895|12|9|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Te Karaka, [[Hokianga]], New Zealand
| death_date  = {{death date and age|1994|3|26|1895|12|9|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Panguru]], New Zealand
| occupation  = Activist, historian, schoolteacher
| order       = 1st [[Māori Women's Welfare League|President of the Māori Women's Welfare League]]
| term_start  = 1951
| term_end    = 1957
| successor   = [[Mīria Logan]]
| spouse     = {{plainlist}}
*{{Marriage|Richard Gilbert|1917|1935|end=d.}}
*{{Marriage|William Cooper|1941|1949|end=d.}}
{{endplainlist}}
| children    = 7
}}
'''Dame Whina Cooper''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|ONZ|DBE}} (born '''Hōhepine Te Wake'''; 9 December 1895 – 26 March 1994) was a New Zealand {{Lang|Mi|[[kuia]]}} ([[Māori people|Māori]] elder), who worked for many years for the rights of Māori, and particularly to improve the lot of Māori women. She is remembered for leading the [[Māori land march|1975 Māori land march]] from [[Te Hāpua]] to [[Wellington]], a distance of {{cvt| 1,100|km}}, at the age of 79.

Her wide influence and nationally recognised activity led her to be acknowledged with awards in both the [[Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom|British]] and [[New Zealand Royal Honours System]]s, and by her own people, who bestowed the title {{Lang|Mi|Te Whaea o te Motu}} ('Mother of the Nation') upon her. She is the subject of the 2022 film ''[[Whina (film)|Whina]]''.

==Early life==
Whina Cooper was born Hōhepine Te Wake,<ref>{{cite book | last1 = King | first1 = Michael |  title = Whina, a biography of Whina Cooper | publisher = [[Hodder and Stoughton]] | page = 36 | year = 1983 | isbn = 0-340-338733 }}
</ref> daughter of community leader and Catholic [[Catechesis|catechist]] [[Heremia Te Wake]] and Kare Pauro Kawatihi, of the [[Te Rarawa]] [[iwi]], at Te Karaka, [[Hokianga]].<ref name="DNZB Te Wake">{{DNZB|title=Heremia Te Wake|first= Steven|last= Oliver|id=2t32|access-date=23 April 2017}}</ref>

From an early age, she showed an interest in her father's role, and in history and [[genealogy]]. Her education began at Whakarapa Native School. In 1907, she attended [[St Joseph's Māori Girls' College]]. After high school, she returned to Whakarapa (later [[Panguru]]) where her father wanted her to enter into an arranged marriage with [[Tureiti Te Heuheu Tukino V]], leader of [[Ngāti Tūwharetoa]]. Cooper refused, and instead worked at a local co-operative store. She worked as a teacher for a brief time, at [[Pawarenga Native School]]. However, as one of only three teachers, she became frustrated, and found her time stretched between teaching and helping her own community. She left teaching in 1914 and was a housekeeper at the Catholic presbytery of [[Rawene]] for two years.<ref name="DNZB">{{DNZB|last=King|first=Michael|title=Whina Cooper|id=5C32|access-date=1 August 2022}}</ref> She kept her Catholic faith her whole life.<ref name=":0" />

==Political activism==
===1914–1935: Whakarapa ===
Cooper's first involvement in politics was in the form of a land dispute over an area of leased [[mudflats]] in around 1914. The farmer who rented the land, Bob Holland, wanted to drain the [[estuary]] for farming. This would have obstructed current use of the land by local [[iwi]] for gathering seafood and for racing horses during the drier months. Heremia challenged the lease in court, and Cooper led a group of protesters to fill in Holland's drains. The protesters were eventually charged with trespassing, but they had stalled events long enough for Heremia to be successful, and the Marine Department withdrew the lease.<ref name="DNZB"/>

In 1916, she returned to work at the co-operative store, and around this time, met her first husband, Richard Gilbert, of [[Ngāti Wai]]. She married him on 10 May 1917, with only her parents' knowledge, which led to some unhappiness with her wider family and community, who felt they should have been consulted. After her parents died, the couple left the family home and moved to family land at Te Karaka, where they had to build their own home. By 1920 they had two children, and were able to borrow money from a local priest to purchase her father's home and farm at Whakarapa and the local store. There she played a leading role in [[commerce | business]] and the community, including in 1923 calling a [[Hui (Māori assembly)|hui]] that led to the name of Whakarapa being changed to [[Panguru]]. Her community leadership impressed politician Sir [[Āpirana Ngata]], who invited her to a national hui in 1932. She worked alongside him to promote [[Māori people|Māori]] land-development programmes in the Hokianga. Through him, she also met William Cooper of [[Ngāti Kahungunu]], who became her second husband after Richard Gilbert died of cancer in 1935.<ref name="DNZB"/>

===1949–1960s: Auckland===
She moved to [[Auckland]] in 1949 when her second husband, William Cooper, died. Her political activity changed from local to national. In September 1951, she was elected first president of the new [[Māori Women's Welfare League]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Ministry for Culture and Heritage|title=Dame Whina Cooper|url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/people/dame-whina-cooper|access-date=17 April 2011|date=6 May 2010}}</ref> "which was able to improve things notably for Maori women", working on health, housing, education, and welfare.<ref>{{cite book|last=Grau|first=Marion|title=Rethinking Mission in the Postcolony: Salvation, Society and Subversion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FRMEDZe31DwC|year=2011|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=9780567280886|pages=58–59}}</ref>

In 1957, she stepped down as president, and the annual conference rewarded her with the title ''Te Whaea o te Motu'' ("Mother of the Nation"). During the 1960s, she worked on a local level around Auckland, but kept largely out of the national spotlight.<ref name="DNZB"/>

===1975: Land March===
{{further|Māori Land March 1975}}
In 1975, a coalition of Māori groups asked Cooper to lead them in a protest against the loss of Māori land. She agreed, proposing a [[hīkoi]] (symbolic march) from the northern tip of the North Island to Parliament in [[Wellington]], at the other end of the island.<ref name="DNZB"/> 

During September and October 1975, the nearly 80-year-old Cooper again became nationally recognised, walking at the head of the [[Māori Land March 1975|Māori land march]] from [[Te Hāpua]] to [[Wellington]],<ref name="meinsmith"/> a distance of {{convert|1,100|km}}.<ref name="Graaf 2020"/> The slogan of the march was "not one more acre of Maori land"; they demanded acknowledgement of property rights under the [[Treaty of Waitangi]].<ref name="meinsmith">{{cite book | author = Mein Smith, Philippa | title = A Concise History of New Zealand | publisher = Cambridge University Press | location = Cambridge | year = 2005 |pages= 228–229 | isbn = 978-0-521-54228-9}}</ref><ref name="DNZB"/>

==Honours and awards==
*In the [[1953 Coronation Honours (New Zealand)|1953 Coronation Honours]], Cooper was appointed a [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]], for services to the Māori people.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=39866 |date=1 June 1953 |page=3005 |supp=4}}</ref>
*In the [[1974 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)|1974 Queen's Birthday Honours]], she was promoted to [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]], for services to Māori welfare and culture.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=46312 |date=15 June 1974 |page=6830 |supp=3}}</ref>
*In the [[1981 New Year Honours (New Zealand)|1981 New Year Honours]], Cooper was further promoted to [[Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire]], for services to the Māori people.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=48469 |date=31 December 1980 |page=39 |supp=3}}</ref>
*In 1990, Cooper received the [[New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Alister |last2=Coddington |first2=Deborah |author-link1=Alister Taylor |author-link2=Deborah Coddington |title=Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand |year=1994 |publisher=New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa |location=Auckland |isbn=0-908578-34-2 |page=106}}</ref>
*In the [[1991 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)|1991 Queen's Birthday Honours]], she became the twentieth appointee to the [[Order of New Zealand]],<ref>"The Queen's Birthday Honours List." (1 July 1991) 98 ''[[New Zealand Gazette]]'' 2191.</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=52564 |date=15 June 1991 |page=29 |supp=2}}</ref> New Zealand's highest civil honour.
*In 1993 she was awarded the [[New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/our-programmes/new-zealand-royal-honours/new-zealand-royal-honours-system/types-new-zealand-royal-honours/other-distinctive-new-zealand-honours/suffrage-medal-register |title=The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 – register of recipients |date=26 July 2018 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=18 September 2018}}</ref>

==Death and legacy==
Cooper returned to [[Panguru]] in the Hokianga in 1983 and died there, aged 98, in 1994.<ref name="DNZB"/>

Her legacy includes calling the 1923 [[Hui (Māori assembly)|hui]] that led to the name of Whakarapa being changed to Panguru.<ref name="DNZB"/>

She is remembered as a leader who helped to shape [[Law of New Zealand|New Zealand legislation]] relating to Māori people, as well as helping to develop the community in Auckland. However she is most remembered for winning over the hearts of so many people when she led the 1975 land march, in both Māori and Pākehā communities.<ref name="Graaf 2020">{{cite web | last=Graaf | first=Peter de | title=Dame Whina immortalised in bronze | website=[[NZ Herald]] | date=5 February 2020 | url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northland-age/news/dame-whina-a-legacy-for-all-time/QZ5A4XGEQAOCAQOKG36ZQX4L3I/ | access-date=23 October 2022}}</ref>

She has also served as an inspiration to other Māori women, such as Tiahuia Abraham, who {{as of| 2022| lc=yes}} has been a member of the Māori Women's Welfare League for 53 years.<ref>{{cite web | last=Coster | first=Deena | title=Legacy lives on: Dame Whina Cooper's template for leadership | website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]]| date=22 June 2022 | url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/129030708/legacy-lives-on-dame-whina-coopers-template-for-leadership | access-date=23 October 2022}}</ref>

===Memorials===
On 3 February 2020, a [[Statue of Dame Whina Cooper|memorial at the Waipuna Marae]] was unveiled in Panguru, Hokianga, in the presence of prime minister [[Jacinda Ardern]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://e-tangata.co.nz/reflections/whina-cooper-fearless-and-unforgettable/|title = Whina Cooper: Fearless and unforgettable|date = 22 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/408730/people-gathered-at-waipuna-marae-for-unveiling-of-dame-whina-cooper-statue|title=People gathered at Waipuna Marae for unveiling of Dame Whina Cooper statue|date=3 February 2020}}</ref> The [[bronze]] statue was a sculptural representation of a photograph of Cooper, holding the hand of her granddaughter, as they were starting the 1975 land march. Ardern promised that her story would be included in the new school history curriculum.<ref name="Graaf 2020"/>

===Honorific eponym===
In 2020, the [[tunnel boring machine]] that is being used to construct the twin tunnels of the [[City Rail Link]] in Auckland between [[Mount Eden railway station|Mount Eden station]] and [[Aotea railway station|Aotea station]] was named "Dame Whina Cooper".<ref>{{cite journal|date=September 2020 |title=City Rail Link update |url= https://www.transportationgroup.nz/wp-content/uploads/Roundabout-165-Sept-2020.pdf |journal=Roundabout |issue=165 |page=44 |access-date=12 October 2020}}</ref>

===Film===
Cooper is the subject of a biographical film called ''[[Whina (film)|Whina]]'', which was released in selected cinemas on 23 June 2022. The film was directed by [[James Napier Robertson]] and [[Paula Whetu Jones]]. Cooper was portrayed by [[Miriama McDowell]] and [[Rena Owen]], with the former portraying an adult, and the latter an elderly, Cooper.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tuckett |first1=Graeme |title=Whina: An extraordinary and gripping account of an exceptional life and times |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/stuff-to-watch/300615611/whina-an-extraordinary-and-gripping-account-of-an-exceptional-life-and-times |access-date=19 June 2022 |work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |date=18 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619070624/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/stuff-to-watch/300615611/whina-an-extraordinary-and-gripping-account-of-an-exceptional-life-and-times |archive-date=19 June 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Rena Owen: tackling the role of a lifetime in Whina |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/469363/rena-owen-tackling-the-role-of-a-lifetime-in-whina |access-date=19 June 2022 |work=[[Radio New Zealand]] |date=19 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619070938/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/469363/rena-owen-tackling-the-role-of-a-lifetime-in-whina |archive-date=19 June 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Television===
Whina Cooper was the focus of the documentary, ''Whina, Te Whaea O Te Moto – Mother of the Nation'' (1992)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dame Whina Cooper |url=https://ngataonga.org.nz/set/item/566 |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=ngataonga.org.nz |language=en}}</ref> by [[Bryan Bruce]].  Bruce also featured footage of the Whina Cooper-led Maori land march of 1975 in ''The Bridge'' (2002),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Screen |first=NZ On |title=The Bridge {{!}} Television {{!}} NZ On Screen |url=https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/the-bridge-2002 |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=www.nzonscreen.com |language=en}}</ref> a television documentary about the history of the [[Auckland Harbour Bridge]].

==See also==
* [[Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*[[Michael King (historian)|King, Michael]] (2003). ''Cooper, Whina 1895–1994'' (biography of Dame Whina Cooper)

==External links==
{{Commons category|Whina Cooper}}
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{DNZB|title=Whina Cooper biography|id=5C32|plainlink=y}} from the ''[[Dictionary of New Zealand Biography]]''
*[http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/te-matakite-o-aotearoa-1975 Te Matakite O Aotearoa – The Maori Land March] – Full-length documentary about the 1975 march, featuring interviews with Whina Cooper on [[NZ On Screen]]
*"[http://www.maoritube.co.nz/news-and-politics/whina-cooper-te-whaea-o-te-motu-1992-documentary/ Whina: Te Whaea o Te Motu]", 1992 documentary on the life of Dame Whina Cooper

{{Order of New Zealand|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Whina}}
[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:New Zealand Māori activists]]
[[Category:New Zealand women activists]]
[[Category:New Zealand activists]]
[[Category:New Zealand schoolteachers]]
[[Category:New Zealand Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:People from the Hokianga]]
[[Category:Te Rarawa people]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of New Zealand]]
[[Category:New Zealand Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People educated at St Joseph's Māori Girls' College]]
[[Category:Recipients of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993]]
[[Category:People of the Māori Women's Welfare League]]
[[Category:20th-century Māori tribal leaders]]