Knight recognised for years of work to protect Māori heritage

Thursday, 28 December 2017

Māori culture and heritage belong to all New Zealanders, says Sir John Clarke.

Named a knight companion to the New Zealand Order of Merit for his contribution towards Māori heritage and preservation,  Clarke said he had remarkable experiences with people who are very involved with heritage. 

'It makes you proud to be a New Zealander, really.' 

Clarke, who lives in the Lower Hutt suburb of Naenae, said to hear he received the award was a very humbling and emotional experience, and he had to keep it secret from his children. 

His first thoughts went to his family, wife Kathy, three children and six grandchildren, and to all those he had worked with. 

Māori culture and heritage belonged to all New Zealanders.   'It gives us an identity of how we are as a nation.' 

Clarke said in his various roles, he had enjoyed seeing improvements and areas where the alignment of Māori culture and modern society was a success.  

'Going through different stages, you never give up and you never stop dreaming.' 

Clarke has worked in education and crown agencies, and since the 1990s has played a role in almost 30 treaty settlements around New Zealand.

He has been a Crown Law Office cultural advisor since 2004, and an Office of Treaty Settlements cultural advisor since 1997.

Since 2013, as Māori Heritage Council chairman, Clarke was instrumental in forming the new Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014. 

From 2014 he was deputy chairman of   Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga  and worked to make enhancements to the role of the Māori Heritage Council.

 He was also responsible for the document 'Tapuwae', which captures a philosophy to safeguard Māori heritage places.