Whetumarama Wereta
Encyclopedia
Whetumarama Wereta is a Māori political scientist and statistician from Lower Hutt
, New Zealand
.
She belongs to the Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Ranginui
iwi
s.
Wereta has served as the Mäori representative on several government commissions or committees on the electoral system, education and justice.
In 1992, Wereta became manager, Maori Statistics.
She has also worked as a policy researcher and/or a manager in the Ministry of Maori Development and its predecessors, and in the Department of Internal Affairs
.
Wereta was employed as a social researcher at the Department of Maori Affairs in Wellington in 1988.
Wereta served on the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO
.
She was one of the three members of the Local Government Commission from 1 April 1990 until 31 March 1993, along with Sir Brian Elwood and Doug Pearson.
Rejoining Statistics New Zealand
in 2001, she was appointed General Manager, Maori Statistics.
that recommended mixed member proportional representation
(MMP) for elections to the New Zealand Parliament, a major change from the previous first-past-the-post
system.
She was the only member of the commission with a known political affiliation (to the Labour Party
), and also the only Maori and the only woman on the commission.
The committee embraced the principles of fairness to women and to the Maori in their report, which was accepted. New Zealand now follows an MMP system of elections.
In 1988, Wereta was appointed to serve on the Picot task force
to review the functions of the Department of Education
.
Her role on the task force was to emphasise a Maori perspective.
As the only Maori on the task force, she was at first marginalized. It was only when she threatened to resign that it was agreed to include a section on Maori aspirations in the report.
The Picot Task Force caused fundamental changes in the New Zealand educational system towards greater school autonomy and separation of regulatory responsibilities into different agencies.
In 1994, Wereta was appointed to the four-person Mäori Committee to the New Zealand Law Commission
, an independent advisory body set up to review, reform and develop the law of New Zealand.
The purpose of the committee is to assist the Law Commission in the "development of a bicultural framework for the law of New Zealand".
She was a member of that committee when, on 15 September 1995, it submitted a report that rejected in the strongest terms the government proposal to abolish the right of appeal to the Privy Council
.
She was a contributor to the April 1999 report by the Law Commission on Justice: The Experiences of Mäori Women.
In 2006, Wereta was appointed the government's representative on the Representation Commission to determine the boundaries of the Maori electoral districts.
Other members were John McEnteer, representing the opposition, and Judge Bernard Kendall, chairperson.
Dr Pita Sharples
, co-leader of the Maori Party
, criticized the appointment on the grounds that the government had not consulted his party.
In 2002, she presented a paper on Statistics in the Wake of Challenges Posed by Cultural Diversity in a Globalization Context at the International Symposium on Cultural Statistics in Montreal
, Canada
.
In July 2005 she was a keynote speaker at a conference of the Population Association of New Zealand.
At a March 2006 meeting in Ottawa
, Canada
of the UN Permanent Forum of Indigenous Peoples she presented a paper on
Towards a Maori Statistics Framework.
Other papers:
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
She belongs to the Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Ranginui
Ngati Ranginui
Ngāti Ranginui is a Māori iwi centred in Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. Ngāti Ranginui is one of the three Tauranga Moana tribes, maintaining close ties with Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Pūkenga. In the 2001 census, 6,120 people claimed affiliation to the iwi, representing 9 hapu...
iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
s.
Wereta has served as the Mäori representative on several government commissions or committees on the electoral system, education and justice.
Career
Wereta gained a BA Hons degree, then joined the Department of Statistics in the early 1970s.In 1992, Wereta became manager, Maori Statistics.
She has also worked as a policy researcher and/or a manager in the Ministry of Maori Development and its predecessors, and in the Department of Internal Affairs
Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)
The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs is a state sector organisation whose roles include the issue of passports; administering citizenship grant applications, and lottery grant applications; enforcement of censorship and gambling law; registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil...
.
Wereta was employed as a social researcher at the Department of Maori Affairs in Wellington in 1988.
Wereta served on the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.
She was one of the three members of the Local Government Commission from 1 April 1990 until 31 March 1993, along with Sir Brian Elwood and Doug Pearson.
Rejoining Statistics New Zealand
Statistics New Zealand
Statistics New Zealand is the national statistical office of New Zealand.-Organisation:New Zealand's Minister of Statistics is Maurice Williamson who serves as a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives and holds several other posts within government...
in 2001, she was appointed General Manager, Maori Statistics.
Public policy advisor
Wereta was a member of the five-person 1985-86 New Zealand Royal Commission on the Electoral SystemRoyal Commission on the Electoral System
The Royal Commission on the Electoral System was formed in New Zealand in 1985, and reported in 1986. The decision to form the Royal Commission was taken by the Fourth Labour government, after the Labour party had received more votes, yet won fewer seats than the National Party in both the 1978 and...
that recommended mixed member proportional representation
Mixed member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world...
(MMP) for elections to the New Zealand Parliament, a major change from the previous first-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
system.
She was the only member of the commission with a known political affiliation (to the Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
), and also the only Maori and the only woman on the commission.
The committee embraced the principles of fairness to women and to the Maori in their report, which was accepted. New Zealand now follows an MMP system of elections.
In 1988, Wereta was appointed to serve on the Picot task force
Picot task force
The Picot task force was set up by the New Zealand government in July 1987 to review the school system. The members were Brian Picot, a businessman, Peter Ramsay, an associate professor of education at the University of Waikato, Margaret Rosemergy, a senior lecturer at the Wellington College of...
to review the functions of the Department of Education
Department of Education (New Zealand)
The New Zealand Department of Education was, pre-1989, the public service department of the New Zealand Government responsible for pre-tertiary education...
.
Her role on the task force was to emphasise a Maori perspective.
As the only Maori on the task force, she was at first marginalized. It was only when she threatened to resign that it was agreed to include a section on Maori aspirations in the report.
The Picot Task Force caused fundamental changes in the New Zealand educational system towards greater school autonomy and separation of regulatory responsibilities into different agencies.
In 1994, Wereta was appointed to the four-person Mäori Committee to the New Zealand Law Commission
New Zealand Law Commission
New Zealand's Law Commission was established in 1986 by the Law Commission Act 1985. The Commission is a Crown Entity under the Crown Entities Act 2004....
, an independent advisory body set up to review, reform and develop the law of New Zealand.
The purpose of the committee is to assist the Law Commission in the "development of a bicultural framework for the law of New Zealand".
She was a member of that committee when, on 15 September 1995, it submitted a report that rejected in the strongest terms the government proposal to abolish the right of appeal to the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
.
She was a contributor to the April 1999 report by the Law Commission on Justice: The Experiences of Mäori Women.
In 2006, Wereta was appointed the government's representative on the Representation Commission to determine the boundaries of the Maori electoral districts.
Other members were John McEnteer, representing the opposition, and Judge Bernard Kendall, chairperson.
Dr Pita Sharples
Pita Sharples
Pita Russell Sharples, CBE, , a Māori academic and politician, currently co-leads the Māori Party. He currently is the member for Tamaki Makaurau in New Zealand's Parliament.-Early life:...
, co-leader of the Maori Party
Maori Party
The Māori Party, a political party in New Zealand, was formed on 7 July 2004. The Party is guided by eight constitutional "kaupapa", or Party objectives. Tariana Turia formed the Māori Party after resigning from the Labour Party where she had been a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour-led...
, criticized the appointment on the grounds that the government had not consulted his party.
Papers
As an authority on statistics, and Maori statistics in particular, Wereta has published and presented a number of academic papers.In 2002, she presented a paper on Statistics in the Wake of Challenges Posed by Cultural Diversity in a Globalization Context at the International Symposium on Cultural Statistics in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
In July 2005 she was a keynote speaker at a conference of the Population Association of New Zealand.
At a March 2006 meeting in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
of the UN Permanent Forum of Indigenous Peoples she presented a paper on
Towards a Maori Statistics Framework.
Other papers: