Tā Tīmoti Samuel Kāretu (KNZM, QSO, CRSNZ)

Tā (Sir) Tīmoti Samuel Kāretu KNZM, QSO, CRSNZ is one of Maoridom’s most respected linguists. A teacher, leader, exponent of the spoken and performing arts, and language expert who has dedicated to preserving the richness and beauty of te reo Māori. His commitment to revitalising, preserving, and upholding the integrity of te reo Māori has had a major influence on learners and people around the nation. Nationally and internationally recognised as the expert on te reo Māori, for most reo Māori speakers, Tā Tīmoti is the godfather of the Māori language.

Tā Tīmoti descends from Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāi Tūhoe. Born in Hastings on the 29th of April 1937, raised in a one-room house in Waikaremoana by his loving whāngai (relative adoption) parents Mauwhare Taiwera and Tame Kāretu. Tā Tīmoti’s biological mother passed away when he was four and he had minimal contact with his biological father. Despite challenging circumstances, Tame and Mauwhare provided warmth, affection, and sustenance in their humble abode. He attended Kōkako Native School, Huiarau Native School, Waimarama Native School. With the help from his primary teacher, Herbert Curnow, Tā Tīmoti later boarded Wellington College on a five-year scholarship. He later studied at Wellington Teacher’s Training College and Victoria University, completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Māori, French and German. In 1960, Tā Tīmoti taught French and German at Taumaranui High School as well as te reo Māori night classes for lawyers. In 1961, he served as the chief information officer for the New Zealand High Commission in London and worked as a German and French interpreter in Brussels. Tā Tīmoti returned to New Zealand in 1969, teaching at Fairview College before becoming a lecturer of te reo Māori at University of Waikato in 1970. He then served as the inaugural head of the Māori Studies and Research department and rose to the rank of professor of Māori from 1987 to 1992.

The demand for the Māori language was just only growing in 1969-1970 and although Tā Tīmoti had embarked outside of his home, he was raised in a culturally conservative Māori speaking community and his parents, especially his mother, maintained his reo Māori through letters, with his father subtly correcting him when he went wrong. Adamant to revitalise te reo Māori, Tā Tīmoti has held significant leadership roles throughout his career to uplift the cultural preservation and the Māori language. From 1987 to 1999, Tā Tīmoti served as the first Te Ahorangi (CEO) for the Māori Language Commission, Te Taura Whiri I Te Reo Māori, promoting and raising the profile of the Māori language. From 1993 to 2003, he served as the executive director of Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board, promoting the Māori language through early childhood immersion programmes. Following the death of the late Sir Kingi Ihaka in 1994, Tā Tīmoti became the new Chairperson of the Aotearoa Traditional Māori Performing Arts Festival, now known as Te Matatini, and has become a life member of Te Matatini for his contribution to kapa haka and the work of Te Matatini Society Incorporated.

Tā Tīmoti’s love for books started at an early age and intensified as he grew older. Eventually, he made significant contributions to literature and language education. Having authored Te Reo Rangatira: A Course in Māori for sixth and seventh forms, published in 1974 to serve as a valuable resource for learning Māori language at an advanced level and Matamua ko te Kupu in 2020, covering all aspects related to Māori performance arts. He co-authored with the late Te Wharehuia Milroy, Haka: Te Tohu o te Whenua Rangatira in 1993 and He Kupu Tuku Iho: Ko te Reo Māori te Tatau ki te Ao in 2019, both delving into the art of traditional Māori dance, the Māori language and culture. His bilingual brilliance also led him to translating nine songs from English to Māori for the chart-topping album Waiata/Anthems in 2019. Tā Tīmoti also assisted in the songwriting of NZ Band Six60’s hit song Pepeha and translated Lorde’s song Hua Pirau / Fallen Fruit. In addition, he is a skilled composer of waiata and haka, composing songs and serving as a judge at Te Matatini, the pinnacle of national kapa haka competitions. The artistic contributions of Tā Tīmoti has enhanced Māori cultural expression.

Recognising the lack of reo Māori speakers in students despite having their degrees or diplomas, Tā Tīmoti joined with the late Te Wharehuia Milroy and Tā Pou Temara in 2004 to establish Te Panekiritanga o Te Reo, the Institute of Excellence in the Māori Language, an exclusive post-graduate senior qualification in Māori language. Established to uplift the standards of the Māori language on the paepae, marae and improve the standard of te reo Māori, together they trained 350 graduates to reach the pinnacle of the Māori language over 15 years. Te Panekiritanga o Te Reo was put to rest after Te Wharehuia passed away in May 2019.

 
In 1996, Tā Tīmoti was involved in the establishment of Toi Māori Aotearoa, a Charitable Trust which emerged from the need for a collective Māori artists’ forum to foster the development of Māori art and support the national Māori art form committees. He became an original Kaitiaki/Trustee for Toi Māori Aotearoa, amongst some of the most prolific leaders of modern Māoridom, such as Dr Hirini Moko-Mead, Emily Schuster, Derek Fox, Trevor Maxwell, and Dame Georgina Kirby. Together, the original trustees developed a strategic plan for the organisation with the following objectives:

• To ensure that Māori art in all its forms continues to flourish as one of the great art traditions of the world.
• To maintain, develop and promote Māori art as an essential element of Māori culture and the culture of Aotearoa.
• Assist in maintaining the integrity of Māori art and culture so that its distinctive features and wairua (spirit) are not sacrificed.