Dame Areta Koopu DNZM CBE (née King; born 8 March 1941) is a New Zealand social worker and Māori activist. She was a member of the New Zealand Māori Council from 1987 to 1992, National President of the Māori Women's Welfare League from 1993 to 1996, and a Human Rights Commissioner from 1996 to 2001.[1][2][3]
Dame Areta Koopu | |
|---|---|
 Koopu in 2019 | |
| 14th President of the Māori Women's Welfare League | |
| In office 1993–1996 | |
| Preceded by | Aroha Reriti-Crofts |
| Succeeded by | Druis Barrett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Areta King 8 March 1941 Gisborne, New Zealand |
| Spouse |
Hoera Koopu (m. 1961) |
| Children | 5 |
In the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours, Koopu was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the community.[4] In the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Māori and the community.[5] She is also a recipient of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993.[1]
Koopu was born in Gisborne on 8 March 1941, the daughter of Wiremu and Ngaro Alice King.[6] She was educated at Gisborne Girls' High School, and married Hoera Koopu in 1961.[6] The couple went on to have five children.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b "Citations for Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit – KOOPU, Mrs Areta, CBE". Queen's Birthday Honours 2019. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ Carter, Charlotte (3 June 2019). "Queen's Birthday Honours: Fighting to have te reo recognised central to Dame Areta Koopu's work". Stuff. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ Tebbutt, Leah (2 June 2019). "Queen's Birthday Honours: Rotorua's Areta Koopu acknowledged for service to Māori and community". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ "No. 53697". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 11 June 1994. p. 34.
- ^ "Queen's Birthday Honours 2019". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 3 June 2019. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ a b c Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 220. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.