Matiu Rata
I whānau mai a Matiu Rata (Ngāti Kurī) i te Tai Tokerau, he mema o ngā uniana kaimahi, he mema hoki o te Hāhi Rātana, e tika ana ka whai atu ia i te Pāti Reipa. I te tau 1963, 23 tōna pakeke, i kōwhiria ia hei mema mō te Tai Tokerau mō te Pāti Reipa, engari kāore a Reipa i eke, tae rā anō ki te tau 1972. I raro i te Kāwanatanga i ārahina nei e Kirk, i noho a Rata hei Minita mō ngā Take Māori. Nō muri mai ka wehe ia i te Pāti Reipa kia tū mō te Pāti Mana Motuhake. Kāore ia i eke i roto i ngā kōwhiringa pōti mo te rōpū Mana Motuhake, i ārahi kē ia i ngā kaikerēme o Muriwhenua ki mua i te aroaro o Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi.
He takoha takaāwhio nui tā Matiu Rata ki te whakarauora ake i tōna reo tuatahi, nā te Whakatū i Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi. He whānui kē atu ōna wawata mō te tūranga (o Te Rōpū Whakamana) i tērā i tohua tuatahitia, engari i kitea tonutia e ia te pitomata o taua kaupapa.
Inā kē te nui o te takoha a Matiu Rata ki te whakarauoratanga o te reo Māori nā te whakatū i Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi, ahakoa kāre i hāngai ki te reo. I whānui kē atu te ara ki tua mō Te Rōpū Whakamana i tāna i matakite ai, engari i kite tonu ia i te pitomata kia pakari kē atu. Ka noho Te Rōpū Whakamana hei ‘taonga whakaratarata’, hei ara mahi tahi mō ngāi Māori ki te Karauna, hei huarahi tāpae taunaki hoki e kimihia ai he rongoā mō ngā mamaetanga, e kore rawa pea e mutu.
Tētahi take pērā, ko te reo Māori, arā, te kaupapa o te kerēme WAI11 i hua mai ai te Ture o te Reo Māori 1987, te whakamananga hoki o te reo i te ao pāpāho, i te ao mātauranga me te ahurea nui tonu.