Kōrero: Cultural go-betweens

An entire paepae (row) of cultural go-betweens appear in this 1985 photograph taken at the opening of Te Kura o Hoani Waititi, a Māori-language primary school at Hoani Waititi marae in West Auckland. On the verandah are (left to right) educationalist John Bennett, Prime Minister David Lange, marae founder Dr Pita Sharples, Sadie Graham, and Bishop Paul Reeves (later governor-general). Sharples (Ngāti Kahungunu) later revitalised the use of traditional Māori weaponry and became co-leader of the Māori Party (Te Pāti Māori) and an MP. The marae and school are named after a teacher and Māori-language expert from Bay of Plenty who wrote some of the most influential Māori textbooks and was an active community worker in Auckland.