Erihapeti Rehu-Murchie
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Erihapeti Rehu-Murchie
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CNZM|QSO|JP|size=100%}}
| image =
| caption =
| office2 = Human Rights Commissioner, Human Rights Commission
| term_start2 = 1988
| term_end2 = 1997
| alongside2 =
| order1 = 8th President of the Māori Women's Welfare League
| term_start1 = 1977
| term_end1 = 1980
| predecessor1 = Mira Szászy
| successor1 = Violet Pou
| birth_name = Erihapeti Rehu
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1923|12|30|df=y}}
| birth_place = Arowhenua, New Zealand
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1997|07|05|1923|12|30|df=y}}
| death_place = Whanganui, New Zealand
| spouse = Malcolm McGregor Murchie
| relations = Erihana Ryan
Hana Te Hemara
| children = 10
| alma_mater = Teachers' Training College
University of Canterbury (BA)
Victoria University of Wellington (LLD h.c)
}}
Erihapeti Rehu-Murchie {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CNZM|QSO|JP}} (30 December 1923 – 5 July 1997) was a Ngāi Tahu leader, health researcher, actor, composer and human rights commissioner. She was president of the Māori Women's Welfare League from 1977 to 1980 and research director from 1981 to 1985.
Personal life
She was born at Arowhenua, on 30 December 1923. She studied at Arowhenua Native School, and Temuka District High School. From 1944 to 1945, she studied at Christchurch Teachers’ College where she met and married Malcolm McGregor Murchie, a pākeha with whom she went on to have ten children.{{Cite web |title=Whenua. 13/07/97 ( Part 1 of 2 ) |url=https://ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=236413 |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=ngataonga.org.nz |language=en}}
Work and activism
While working as a teacher she also acted and directed plays. She played Aroha Mataira in The Pohutukawa Tree by Bruce Mason.{{Cite web|last=Taonga|first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu|title=Rehu-Murchie, Erihapeti|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/6r3/rehu-murchie-erihapeti|access-date=2021-10-26|website=teara.govt.nz|language=en}}
Rehu-Murchie joined the Māori Women's Welfare League at a young age, and in the early 1970s supported the Māori Language Petition of her second cousin Hana Te Hemara. She also voiced the opposition of the league to All-Black tours to Apartheid South Africa.{{Cite web |title=Te Unga Waka Marae - Hui. |url=https://ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=224982 |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=ngataonga.org.nz |language=en}}
In 1977 she became president of the league. In 1979 she publicly supported the student activism of Ngā Tamatoa in the controversy around the haka party incident and later opposed the 1981 Springbok Tour.
Following her three-year term as president, she became the league's research director from 1981 to 1985. During this time she wrote and directed a research initiative into the health of Māori women, eventually penning the landmark report Rapuora: Health and Māori Women.{{Cite web |last=Cook |first=Megan |date=5 May 2011 |title=Māori Womens Health Activism |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/womens-health/page-9 |website=teara.govt.nz/}}
In 1988, she was appointed to the Human Rights Commission. She travelled to indigenous meetings under the UN and was an early proponent of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.{{Cite web|title=Human Rights Commission :: Erihapeti Rehu-Murchie: A woman of incredible mana|url=https://www.hrc.co.nz/news/erihapetu-rehu-murchie-woman-incredible-mana/|access-date=2021-10-26|website=www.hrc.co.nz}} She died on 5 July 1997.{{Cite web|title=Dr Erihapeti (Elizabeth) Rehu Murchie - Timaru District Council|url=https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/our-district/hall-of-fame/category-three/dr-erihapeti-elizabeth|access-date=2021-10-26|website=www.timaru.govt.nz}}
Honours
In the 1990 New Year Honours, Rehu-Murchie was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for community service.{{London Gazette |issue=51982 |date=30 December 1989 |page=30 |supp=2}} In 1990, she was conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Victoria University of Wellington,{{cite web |url=https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/about/our-story/history/honorary-graduates |title=Honorary graduates and Hunter fellowships |publisher=Victoria University of Wellington |access-date=28 October 2021}} and in 1993 she was awarded the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal.{{cite web |url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/our-programmes/new-zealand-royal-honours/new-zealand-royal-honours-system/types-new-zealand-royal-honours/other-distinctive-new-zealand-honours/suffrage-medal-register |title=The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 – register of recipients |date=26 July 2018 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=28 October 2021}} She was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the community, in the 1997 Queen's Birthday Honours.{{cite web |url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-birthday-honours-list-1997 |title=Queen's Birthday honours list 1997 |date=2 June 1997 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=28 October 2021}}
A fellowship in Māori health, awarded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand, is named in her honour.{{Cite web|title=HRC Erihapeti Rehu-Murchie Fellowship in Māori Health|url=https://scholarshipdb.net/scholarships-in-New-Zealand/Hrc-Erihapeti-Rehu-Murchie-Fellowship-In-M-ori-Health-Victoria-University-Of-Wellington=ab0Itrw36BGUVQAlkGUTnw.html|website=scholarshipdb.net}}{{Cite web|title=Erihapeti Rehu-Murchie Fellowship {{!}} Scholarship|url=https://studyspy.ac.nz/scholarships/10533/erihapeti-rehu-murchie-fellowship|access-date=2021-10-26|website=studyspy.ac.nz|date=12 December 2018 |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{cite web|last=Stowell|first=Laurel|date=2017-07-21|title=Obituary: Malcolm McGregor Murchie, pioneer educator, first principal of Waiariki Institute|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-chronicle/news/obituary-malcolm-mcgregor-murchie-pioneer-educator-first-principal-of-waiariki-institute/PSFDI4CBAVTPJZRCKK7RUC6C64/ |website=NZ Herald}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rehu-Murchie, Erihapeti}}
Category:University of Canterbury alumni
Category:New Zealand Māori public servants
Category:New Zealand Māori actresses
Category:New Zealand theatre directors
Category:New Zealand women theatre directors
Category:Companions of the Queen's Service Order
Category:Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Category:Recipients of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993