Renowned te reo Māori translator and linguist Te Haumihiata Mason (Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Arawa, Ngāti Pango) has been bestowed an honorary doctorate from the University of Waikato.
Mason, whose translation works include The Diary of Anne Frank and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, was conferred yesterday in a graduation ceremony presided by former Governor-General and University of Waikato Chancellor Sir Anand Satyanand.
Speaking to Te Karere, she credits her success to the people who supported her throughout her academic career, as well as those who raised her.
“I kōrero rā ahau mō ngā whakatupuranga e toru i whakatupu i au kia wahine… he mihi anō tēnei ki a rātou.”
(I spoke of the three generations of those who raised me to become the woman I am today… this is in honour of them.)
Mason grew up in the small rural community of Ruatoki, in Bay of Plenty, where only te reo Māori was spoken. When she was nine, she attended a school in Whakatāne that strapped students for speaking Māori.
She was 15 when she left and would return to formal education 15 years later to study a diploma of primary teaching at Hamilton Teacher’s College. She then moved on to the University of Waikato for her undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
Mason has a strong association with the university. She gained both a bachelor’s and master’s degree as a student, and taught te reo Māori as a lecturer.
Professor Sandy Morrison, a former student of Mason’s, said she and many of her fellow colleagues were part of the first cohort of Te Tohu Paetahi – a full-year te reo Māori immersion course offered at Waikato University – in 1991, and was in awe of her scholarship back then.
She believes the likes of Mason hasn’t been seen in years.
“Here is a wahine toa who is actually translating the most amazing works in the most beautiful language,” said Morrison.
Mason is the epitome of what can be achieved by Māori women who aspire in te reo Māori, she said – a space that can often be perceived as being dominated by men.
“We have the visibility of men who carry te reo in very visible spaces, like whaikōrero, so when you see Te Haumihiata being awarded this as well, then I think that’s definitely for all of us women, and especially the women who are chasing te reo as their dream.”
An honorary doctorate is the university’s top award recognising an individual for their excellence in a particular field and outstanding academic leadership; substantial and exemplary contribution to the university; or outstanding leadership to the nation through activities in line with the university’s values.
Dr Sarah-Jane Tiakiwai, deputy Vice Chancellor Māori, said Mason has worked alongside the likes of Sir Timoti Karetu and the late Te Wharehuia Milroy, both champions of te reo Māori, and is an example for all wāhine Māori.
“Ka taea mātou ngā wahine ki te kite i a ia i ēnei momo tūnga, ka taea tonu mātou ngā wahine ki te whai i taua tohu.”
(When we, Māori women, see someone like her succeed at this level, we believe we can too.)
Who is Te Haumihiata Mason?
Mason has a long and storied career in the revitalisation of te reo Māori and its normalisation in mainstream society.
She became a registered translator and interpreter in 1993, and started working for Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission, three years later.
She left the organisation in 2000 but returned in 2009 where she overhauled the qualification process for translators and interpreters, establishing a high level of standard, accountability and collaborative effort.
Last week, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced her appointment to the board.
As well as her translation work, Mason has advised on several television shows, including the popular youth show Pūkana, and children’s animated show Tākaro Tribe, and was the reo advisor on Muru, the film inspired by the 2007 Tūhoe raids that starred Cliff Curtis.
She has advised government departments such as Toitū Te Whenua – Land Information New Zealand, Landcare Research, the New Zealand Geographic Board, and the Ministry of Education, and helped draft and then translate Te Kahui o Matariki Public Holiday Act 2022.
Last year she was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori language education.
Glossary
Wahine – woman
Wāhine – women
Toa – (in this context) champion, warrior
Whaikōrero – formal speech making
Te reo – the language, often referred to the Māori language
