Wira Gardiner

{{Short description|New Zealand public servant (1943–2022)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2018}} {{Infobox person | honorific_prefix = Sir | name = Wira Gardiner | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|KNZM|size=100%}} | image = File:Wira Gardiner 2021 (cropped).jpg | alt = | caption = Gardiner in 2021 | birth_name = Harawira Tiri Gardiner | birth_date = {{Birth date|1943|9|4|df=y}} | birth_place = Whakatāne, New Zealand | death_date = {{Death date and age|2022|3|17|1943|9|4|df=y}} | death_place = Gisborne, New Zealand | nationality = | other_names = | political_party = National | occupation = Soldier, public servant and writer | alma_mater = University of Canterbury<br />King's College London | spouses = {{ubl|Pauline Gardiner|Hekia Parata}} | children = 5 | relatives = Ainsley Gardiner (daughter) | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = }}

'''Sir Harawira Tiri Gardiner''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|KNZM|size=100%}}<ref name="Outstanding">{{cite web|title=The Queen's Birthday Honours List 2008|date=31 December 2005 |url=http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/node/367|publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet|accessdate=29 June 2012}}</ref> (4 September 1943 – 17 March 2022) was a New Zealand soldier, public servant, and writer. He was Māori, of Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Pikiao, Whakatōhea, and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui descent.

==Early life and personal== Gardiner was born on 4 September 1943 in Whakatāne.<ref>{{cite book |title=Who's Who in New Zealand, 1991 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6x8OAQAAMAAJ |accessdate=29 July 2015 |last1=Lambert |first1=Max |year=1991 |edition=12th |publisher=Octopus |location=Auckland |page=223|isbn = 978-0-7900-0130-2}}</ref> He was brought up under whāngai, the Māori custom of open inner family adoption.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Keane|first1=Basil|title=Whāngai – customary fostering and adoption – Whāngai in modern times|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/whangai-customary-fostering-and-adoption/page-4|publisher=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |accessdate=27 June 2015|date=17 December 2014}}</ref> He received his secondary education in Whakatane and his tertiary education at the University of Canterbury (BA) and at King's College London (MA War Studies). Gardiner was married to former member of parliament Hekia Parata. They had two children together and Gardiner had three other children from a previous marriage to former member of parliament Pauline Gardiner, including the film producer Ainsley Gardiner.<ref name="Outstanding"/>

==Career==

=== Military career === For twenty years Gardiner served in the New Zealand Army as a professional soldier. He saw active service in South Vietnam. He retired from the army in 1983 at the rank of lieutenant colonel; at the time he was the army's highest-ranked Māori officer.<ref name="Outstanding"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Iwi mourn the death of Sir Wira Gardiner |url=https://www.teaomaori.news/iwi-mourn-death-sir-wira-gardiner |access-date=17 March 2022 |website=Māori Television |language=en}}</ref>

=== Public service === Gardiner's public service career spanned 38 years from 1983 to 2021. During that time he was founding director of the Waitangi Tribunal, the founding (and only) General Manager of the Iwi Transition Agency and the founding chief executive of the Ministry of Māori Development (Te Puni Kokiri).<ref name="Outstanding"/> He was also National Director of Civil Defence, chair of Te Mangai Paho, and deputy chairman of Te Ohu Kaimoana, the trust responsible for advancing the interests of iwi in the development of fisheries. He was the fourth ministerial appointee to the council of Te Wananga o Aotearoa, and deputy chair of council at Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi.<ref>[http://www.wheelers.co.nz/books/9781869711160-haka-a-living-tradition/ Haka a Living Tradition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001800/http://www.wheelers.co.nz/books/9781869711160-haka-a-living-tradition/ |date=4 March 2016 }}, Wheelers publishers. Retrieved 23 October 2010.</ref>

Gardiner was chair of the Tertiary Education Commission from May 2010 to July 2012.<ref>Steven Joyce. [http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new+tertiary+education+commission+chair+appointed "New Tertiary Education Commission chair appointed"]. Media release.</ref> On 1 July 2009, Gardiner was appointed to the board of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and the following year, he was named as board chair.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thebigidea.nz/news/industry-news/2010/nov/77069-new-te-papa-chair |title=New Te Papa chair |date=3 November 2010 |work=The Big Idea |access-date=25 March 2022}}</ref>

Gardiner was appointed acting chief executive of Oranga Tamariki in 2021 following the resignation of Gráinne Moss, in an attempt to restore confidence in the agency following the 2019 controversy over the uplifting of Māori babies from their families.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Daalder |first=Marc |date=16 August 2021 |title=Oranga Tamariki chief executive on leave for health reasons |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300384331/oranga-tamariki-chief-executive-on-leave-for-health-reasons |access-date=18 March 2022 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref>

=== Political career === Gardiner was a member of the National Party and for a period chaired the party's Wellington Central electorate committee. In 1984, he stood for selection in the East Cape electorate after Duncan MacIntyre retired.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19840409.2.33 |title=Mr Maclntyre's seat sought by 8 |work=The Press |date=9 April 1984 |page=4 }}</ref> Unsuccessful, he tried again ahead of the 1987 general election and was selected.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19861112.2.27 |title=Candidate picked |work=The Press |date=12 November 1986 |page=3 }}</ref> At the election he was defeated by the incumbent Labour Party MP Anne Fraser.<ref>{{cite book |last = Norton |first = Clifford |title = New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946-1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science |year = 1988 |publisher = Victoria University of Wellington |location = Wellington |isbn = 0-475-11200-8 |page=217 }}</ref>

=== Writing career === Gardiner published a number of books on topics related to New Zealand history and the Māori world, including the 28th Māori Battalion, race relations in New Zealand, a biography of politician Parekura Horomia and the art form of haka. He also published a book in response to Jim Bolger's government's “fiscal envelope” cap on Treaty of Waitangi settlements, which would have limited compensation for all Māori claims to $1 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McConnell |first=Glenn |date=18 March 2022 |title=Leaders pay tribute to Sir Wira Gardiner: 'His legacy has helped shape Aotearoa' |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/300544095/leaders-pay-tribute-to-sir-wira-gardiner-his-legacy-has-helped-shape-aotearoa |access-date=21 March 2022 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref>

== Illness and death == In 2012, Gardiner was hospitalised with suspected pancreatic cancer but was discharged after five days with a clean bill of health.<ref>{{Cite web |last=LEVY |first=DANYA |date=29 October 2012 |title=Sir Wira gets clean bill of health after scare |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/7879186/Sir-Wira-gets-clean-bill-of-health-after-scare |access-date=17 March 2022 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref>

Following Hekia Parata's retirement from Parliament in 2016, Prime Minister John Key suggested that Parata had resigned because of Gardiner's ill-health, something which Parata refuted, saying that Gardiner was healthy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parata, Key differ on retirement |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/parata-and-key-at-odds-over-reasons-for-retirement/PRSZCF356SHHPEH767SCZYKFYY/ |access-date=18 March 2022 |website=The New Zealand Herald |date=4 October 2016 |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

In October 2021 Gardiner resigned his role as acting chief executive of Oranga Tamariki because of an illness, later reported to be a brain tumor.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Witton |first=Henry Cooke and Bridie |date=1 October 2021 |title=Sir Wira Gardiner stepping down as head of troubled Oranga Tamariki |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300421100/sir-wira-gardiner-stepping-down-as-head-of-troubled-oranga-tamariki |access-date=18 March 2022 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref><ref name="h185">{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=David |date=20 November 2024 |title='Deeply disappointed': Lady Hekia Parata slams Veterans' Affairs |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/lady-hekia-parata-says-rejection-of-sir-wira-gardiners-veterans-claim-a-failure-of-a-social-contract/DQVE23KRZ5GSFL7S26WMTBVCH4/ |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=The New Zealand Herald }}</ref> He believed his brain tumor was connected to Agent Orange exposure during his military service in Vietnam.<ref name="h185" /> On 17 March 2022, aged 78, Gardiner died at his home in Gisborne.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=17 March 2022 |title=Māori leader Sir Wira Gardiner dies after illness |work=RNZ News |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/463524/maori-leader-sir-wira-gardiner-dies-after-illness |access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=17 March 2022 |title=Tā Wira Gardiner |url=https://waateanews.com/2022/03/17/ta-wira-gardiner/ |access-date=17 March 2022 |website=Waatea News: Māori Radio Station |language=en-NZ}}</ref> At his request, a tangihanga was not held at his marae, as he was concerned about the risk of any gathering in spreading COVID-19 and causing pressure on the public health system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McConnell |first=Glenn |date=17 March 2022 |title=Sir Wira Gardiner, veteran and dedicated public servant, dies aged 78 |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/300544095/sir-wira-gardiner-veteran-and-dedicated-public-servant-dies-aged-78 |access-date=17 March 2022 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref>

== Legacy == Following Gardiner's death, many tributes were paid to Gardiner's impact on New Zealand society. Matthew Tukaki said that Gardiner was "more than a soldier or leader to him, he was an agent of change, a servant of the people and someone who made a real difference."<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |title=Tributes flow for Māori leader Sir Wira Gardiner |language=en |work=Newshub |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/03/tributes-flow-for-m-ori-leader-sir-wira-gardiner.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318002049/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/03/tributes-flow-for-m-ori-leader-sir-wira-gardiner.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 March 2022 |access-date=18 March 2022}}</ref> David Parker described him as "A former military man, a leader within Māoridom, [who gave] huge service to the National Party itself but also to public service."<ref name=":1" />

== Honours == In the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours, Gardiner was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Māori.<ref>{{cite web |date=2 June 2008 |title=Queen's Birthday honours list 2008 |url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-birthday-honours-list-2008 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |accessdate=1 February 2020}}</ref> In 2009, following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government, he accepted redesignation as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.<ref>{{cite web |date=5 April 2011 |title=Special honours list 1 August 2009 |url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/special-honours-list-1-august-2009 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |accessdate=1 February 2020}}</ref>

== Publications == * Gardiner, W. (2019). ''Ake ake kia kaha e! = Forever brave!: B Company 28 (Māori ) Battalion 1939–1945''. Auckland, N.Z.: David Bateman.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gardiner |first=Wira |title=Ake ake kia kaha e! = forever brave!: B Company 28 (Maori) Battalion 1939–1945 |date=2019 |publisher=Bateman Books |isbn=978-1-86953-985-6 |language=English |oclc=1099479942}}</ref> * Gardiner, W. (2014). ''Parekura Horomia: 'Kia ora, chief!'''. Auckland, N.Z. Huia Publishers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gardiner |first=Wira |title=Parekura Horomia: 'Kia ora, chief!' |date=2014 |publisher=Huia Publishers |isbn=978-1-77550-162-6 |oclc=896152351}}</ref> * Gardiner, W. (2010). ''Haka''. Auckland, N.Z: Hodder Moa.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gardiner |first=Wira |title=Haka |date=2010 |publisher=Hodder Moa |isbn=978-1-86971-208-2 |location=Auckland, N.Z. |oclc=630344692}}</ref> * Gardiner, W. (2005). ''Haka. A living tradition''. Auckland: Hachette Livre NZ Ltd.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wira Gardiner |title=Haka. A living tradition. |date=2005 |publisher=Hachette Livre NZ Ltd |isbn=978-1-86958-880-9 |location=Auckland |oclc=979167671}}</ref> * Gardiner, W. (1996). ''Return to sender: What really happened at the fiscal envelope hui''. Auckland, N.Z.: Reed.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gardiner |first=Wira |title=Return to sender: what really happened at the fiscal envelope hui |date=1996 |publisher=Reed |isbn=978-0-7900-0460-0 |location=Auckland [N.Z. |language=English |oclc=36004747}}</ref> * Gardiner, W. (1995). ''The story of the Māori Battalion: Te mura o te ahi''. New Zealand: Reed.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gardiner |first=Wira |title=The story of the Maori Battalion: te mura o te ahi. |date=1995 |publisher=Reed |isbn=978-0-7900-0394-8 |location=New Zealand |language=English |oclc=828610447}}</ref>

==Notes== {{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardiner, Wira}} Category:1943 births Category:2022 deaths Category:Alumni of King's College London Category:New Zealand Māori public servants Category:University of Canterbury alumni Category:New Zealand Māori writers Category:New Zealand public servants Category:Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Category:People from Whakatāne Category:Ngāti Awa people Category:Ngāti Pikiao people Category:Te Whānau-ā-Apanui people Category:Whakatōhea people Category:New Zealand Army officers Category:New Zealand military personnel of the Vietnam War Category:Members of the Waitangi Tribunal Category:People associated with the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Category:New Zealand National Party politicians Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1987 New Zealand general election