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Biography: Kawharu, Ian Hugh

Studying Māori society

Hugh Kawharu as a young man, seated at a desk with a lamp, papers, and a small carved Māori figurine.

Hugh Kawharu focused his academic research on Māori efforts to retain and manage their ancestral lands, particularly those of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei community in Auckland. This research culminated in his landmark book, Māori land tenure: studies of a changing institution (1977).

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How to cite this page

Margaret Kawharu. 'Kawharu, Ian Hugh', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2023. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/47820/studying-maori-society (accessed 4 June 2026).