Whina Cooper was born in the Hokianga of Te Rarawa descent, one of fourteen children. She was fortunate to be assisted to attend St Joseph’s Màori Girls’ School, which enabled her to train as a teacher before returning to her home at Pawarenga. Never one to watch life go by, in her village she taught, farmed, and worked as postmistress and storekeeper. A respected leader, she held high positions in her community, and actively pursued welfare, cultural, and recreational issues at local and national levels.

Whina Cooper was the founding president of the Màori Women’s Welfare League, and responsible for initiating a major survey of Màori housing which alerted the government to areas of need. She was noted for her work in land rights, and captured the national imagination when, in 1975, she led the Màori Land March, Te Roopu o te Matakite, from Te Hàpua to Wellington. She gathered thousands of marchers and 60,000 signatures on a memorial of rights to present at parliament a month after setting out. This demonstration of unity helped to set in train a systematic process of acknowledging and redressing the wrongs of more than a century.

Whina Cooper was strong, single-minded, and inspirational, albeit with a sense of mischief. She ignored traditional roles in order to achieve her aims, and set precedents without being aware of it. Her concept of rangatiratanga - leadership - was being out in front, not bound up in organisational matters. She knew every prime minister and used her genius for tactics to make sure she was heard. Whina Cooper had no time for separatism or division, but in her forthright and direct way sought justice for all.