Source: Radio New Zealand
By Taroi Black, Tuia News
Activist Sharon Hawke being farewelled at Ōrākei marae. Supplied/Tuia News
Family and friends have gathered at Ōrākei Marae to farewell activist Sharon Hawke who passed in Samoa last week.
Sharon was just 52 when she passed, and is the daughter of renowned Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei leaders, Joe and Rene Hawke. Joe lead the protest at Takaparawhau, Bastion Point, to reclaim whenua belonging to his people.
Activist Sharon Hawke was just 52 when she passed. Screenshot
Precious Clarke of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei says the grief being felt is shared across many.
“She has been a leader of kaupapa within our iwi. She sat alongside her father, her mother, our grandparents. So she was up at Takaparawhau Bastion Point. She was one of the 222 people that were arrested on the day. And she never stopped. She continued to support our iwi to stand up, to take charge.”
Sharon’s work spanned media, governance and community leadership, where she became a strong voice for Māori representation and equity. She helped create pathways for wāhine through Ngā Aho Whakaari, challenging spaces where Māori voices were often sidelined.
Libby Hakaraia of Ngā Aho Whakaari remembers her as a force in the industry.
“He wahine toa ia, he wahine kaha mo tenei ao pāpāho, she catered for wāhine in every space because she had a vision.”
Beyond the screen, she worked across health and wellbeing, advocating for better housing, resources and support for whānau, while also championing breast cancer awareness and early detection for wāhine Māori.
Fellow activist and friend, Hilda Harawira, remembers Sharon as a talented student at Auckland Girls Grammar school, whilst Hilda was attending the University of Auckland.
“I remember her taking all these school certificate subjects, and she was an astute student.”
“Sharon grew into a leader – a leader for wāhine – that was really obvious. You couldn’t put her in a box either – she was vocal and fought for her iwi, Ngāti Whātua Ōrā
Clarke said a lot of planning had gone on behind the scenes organising her tangihanga, with attendees asked to dress in the dandyism theme, as Sharon would have liked.
“We are sending her off with full magnificence in the way that she lived her life. And there’s so much colour, there’s so much flair. We’ve been able to incorporate the moana, which she loved. We’ve been able to incorporate the strength of wahine”
She was buried at her iwi urupā at Ōkahu Bay today. Her whānau and friends say she will be dearly missed, but will leave a long lasting legacy for generations to come of her iwi, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.
-Tuia News
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
