KO WAI AU?

Kahurangi Areta Koopu has had a long career as a New Zealand social worker and Māori activist. Dedicated to serving Māori, 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. She has also been a marriage guidance counsellor, a member of the Waitangi Tribunal and continues to serve on a number of committees.

In the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours, Dame Areta was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the community. 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. She is also a recipient of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993.  Whilst continuing to serve Māori, she chooses her commitments with discernment and values the time she now has to spend caring for her mokupuna.