Sir

Wira Gardiner

KNZM
Gardiner in 2021
Born
Harawira Tiri Gardiner

(1943-09-04)4 September 1943
Whakatāne, New Zealand
Died17 March 2022(2022-03-17) (aged 78)
Gisborne, New Zealand
Alma materUniversity of Canterbury
King's College London
Occupation(s)Soldier, public servant and writer
Political partyNational
Spouses
Children5
RelativesAinsley Gardiner (daughter)

Sir Harawira Tiri Gardiner KNZM[1] (4 September 1943 – 17 March 2022) was a New Zealand soldier, public servant, and writer. He was Māori, of Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Pikiao, Whakatōhea, and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui descent.

Early life and personal

Gardiner was born on 4 September 1943 in Whakatāne.[2] He was brought up under whāngai, the Māori custom of open inner family adoption.[3] He received his secondary education in Whakatane and his tertiary education at the University of Canterbury (BA) and at King's College London (MA War Studies). Gardiner was married to former member of parliament Hekia Parata. They had two children together and Gardiner had three other children from a previous marriage to former member of parliament Pauline Gardiner, including the film producer Ainsley Gardiner.[1]

Career

Military career

For twenty years Gardiner served in the New Zealand Army as a professional soldier. He saw active service in South Vietnam. He retired from the army in 1983 at the rank of lieutenant colonel; at the time he was the army's highest-ranked Māori officer.[1][4]

Public service

Gardiner's public service career spanned 38 years from 1983 to 2021. During that time he was founding director of the Waitangi Tribunal, the founding (and only) General Manager of the Iwi Transition Agency and the founding chief executive of the Ministry of Māori Development (Te Puni Kokiri).[1] He was also National Director of Civil Defence, chair of Te Mangai Paho, and deputy chairman of Te Ohu Kaimoana, the trust responsible for advancing the interests of iwi in the development of fisheries. He was the fourth ministerial appointee to the council of Te Wananga o Aotearoa, and deputy chair of council at Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi.[5]

Gardiner was chair of the Tertiary Education Commission from May 2010 to July 2012.[6] On 1 July 2009, Gardiner was appointed to the board of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and the following year, he was named as board chair.[7]

Gardiner was appointed acting chief executive of Oranga Tamariki in 2021 following the resignation of Gráinne Moss, in an attempt to restore confidence in the agency following the 2019 controversy over the uplifting of Māori babies from their families.[8]

Political career

Gardiner was a member of the National Party. In 1984 he stood for selection in the East Cape electorate after Duncan MacIntyre retired.[9] Unsuccessful, he tried again ahead of the following election and was selected.[10] At the election he was defeated by the incumbent Labour Party MP Anne Fraser.[11]

Writing career

Gardiner published a number of books on topics related to New Zealand history and the Māori world, including the 28th Māori Battalion, race relations in New Zealand, a biography of politician Parekura Horomia and the art form of haka. He also published a book in response to Jim Bolger's government's “fiscal envelope” cap on Treaty of Waitangi settlements, which would have limited compensation for all Māori claims to $1 billion.[12]

Illness and death

In 2012, Gardiner was hospitalised with suspected pancreatic cancer but was discharged after five days with a clean bill of health.[13]

Following Hekia Parata's retirement from Parliament in 2016, Prime Minister John Key suggested that Parata had resigned because of Gardiner's ill-health, something which Parata refuted, saying that Gardiner was healthy.[14]

In October 2021 Gardiner resigned his role as acting chief executive of Oranga Tamariki because of an illness.[15] Gardiner died at his home in Gisborne on 17 March 2022, aged 78.[16][17] At his request, a tangihanga was not held at his marae, as he was concerned about the risk of any gathering in spreading COVID-19 and causing pressure on the public health system.[18]

Legacy

Following Gardiner's death, many tributes were paid to Gardiner's impact on New Zealand society. Matthew Tukaki said that Gardiner was "more than a soldier or leader to him, he was an agent of change, a servant of the people and someone who made a real difference."[19] David Parker described him as "A former military man, a leader within Māoridom, [who gave] huge service to the National Party itself but also to public service."[19]

Honours

In the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours, Gardiner was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Māori.[20] In 2009, following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government, he accepted redesignation as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.[21]

Publications

  • Gardiner, W. (2019). Ake ake kia kaha e! = Forever brave!: B Company 28 (Māori ) Battalion 1939–1945. Auckland, N.Z.: David Bateman.[22]
  • Gardiner, W. (2014). Parekura Horomia: 'Kia ora, chief!'. Auckland, N.Z. Huia Publishers.[23]
  • Gardiner, W. (2010). Haka. Auckland, N.Z: Hodder Moa.[24]
  • Gardiner, W. (2005). Haka. A living tradition. Auckland: Hachette Livre NZ Ltd.[25]
  • Gardiner, W. (1996). Return to sender: What really happened at the fiscal envelope hui. Auckland, N.Z.: Reed.[26]
  • Gardiner, W. (1995). The story of the Māori Battalion: Te mura o te ahi. New Zealand: Reed.[27]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Queen's Birthday Honours List 2008". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2005. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  2. ↑ Lambert, Max (1991). Who's Who in New Zealand, 1991 (12th ed.). Auckland: Octopus. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-7900-0130-2. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  3. ↑ Keane, Basil (17 December 2014). "Whāngai – customary fostering and adoption – Whāngai in modern times". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "Iwi mourn the death of Sir Wira Gardiner". Māori Television. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  5. ↑ Haka a Living Tradition, Wheelers publishers. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  6. ↑ Steven Joyce. "New Tertiary Education Commission chair appointed". Media release.
  7. ↑ "New Te Papa chair". The Big Idea. 3 November 2010. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  8. ↑ Newsroom, Marc Daalder of (16 August 2021). "Oranga Tamariki chief executive on leave for health reasons". Stuff. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "Mr Maclntyre's seat sought by 8". The Press. 9 April 1984. p. 4.
  10. ↑ "Candidate picked". The Press. 12 November 1986. p. 3.
  11. ↑ Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946-1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. p. 217. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
  12. ↑ McConnell, Glenn (18 March 2022). "Leaders pay tribute to Sir Wira Gardiner: 'His legacy has helped shape Aotearoa'". Stuff. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  13. ↑ LEVY, DANYA (29 October 2012). "Sir Wira gets clean bill of health after scare". Stuff. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  14. ↑ "Parata, Key differ on retirement". NZ Herald. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  15. ↑ Witton, Henry Cooke and Bridie (1 October 2021). "Sir Wira Gardiner stepping down as head of troubled Oranga Tamariki". Stuff. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  16. ↑ "Māori leader Sir Wira Gardiner dies after illness". RNZ News. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  17. ↑ "Tā Wira Gardiner". Waatea News: Māori Radio Station. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  18. ↑ McConnell, Glenn (17 March 2022). "Sir Wira Gardiner, veteran and dedicated public servant, dies aged 78". Stuff. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  19. 1 2 "Tributes flow for Māori leader Sir Wira Gardiner". Newshub. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  20. ↑ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2008". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  21. ↑ "Special honours list 1 August 2009". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  22. ↑ Gardiner, Wira (2019). Ake ake kia kaha e! = forever brave!: B Company 28 (Maori) Battalion 1939–1945. ISBN 978-1-86953-985-6. OCLC 1099479942.
  23. ↑ Gardiner, Wira (2014). Parekura Horomia: 'Kia ora, chief!'. ISBN 978-1-77550-162-6. OCLC 896152351.
  24. ↑ Gardiner, Wira (2010). Haka. Auckland, N.Z.: Hodder Moa. ISBN 978-1-86971-208-2. OCLC 630344692.
  25. ↑ Wira Gardiner (2005). Haka. A living tradition. Auckland: Hachette Livre NZ Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86958-880-9. OCLC 979167671.
  26. ↑ Gardiner, Wira (1996). Return to sender: what really happened at the fiscal envelope hui. Auckland [N.Z.: Reed. ISBN 978-0-7900-0460-0. OCLC 36004747.
  27. ↑ Gardiner, Wira (1995). The story of the Maori Battalion: te mura o te ahi. New Zealand: Reed. ISBN 978-0-7900-0394-8. OCLC 828610447.
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