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Te Ururoa Flavell
Te Ururoa James William Ben Flavell (born 7 December 1955), also known as Hemi Flavell, is a New Zealand politician.
Born in Tokoroa, Flavell was a teacher, principal, and education executive before beginning a political career. He won the Waiariki electorate as a Māori Party candidate in 2005 and held that seat until his electoral defeat in 2017. He was Māori Party co-leader from 2013 until 2018 alongside Dame Tariana Turia and Marama Fox. From 2014 to 2017, the final term of the Fifth National Government, Flavell was Minister for Māori Development and Minister for Whānau Ora.
Flavell was born in Tokoroa to James William Flavell and his fifth wife, Miria (Milly). His iwi (tribal) affiliations are to Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, and Te Arawa. Flavell's father died when he was young and he was raised by his single mother at Waiteti, Ngongotahā, north-west of Rotorua. His maternal grandmother was the weaver Ranginui Parewahawaha Leonard.
After attending Sunset Intermediate in Rotorua, Flavell was sent to St Stephen's School, a Māori boys' boarding school, where he learned to speak te reo Māori and was captain of the first XV and head boy. He studied Māori studies and anthropology at the University of Waikato and trained as a teacher. He also has a Master of Arts from the University of Waikato. His thesis, completed in 1986 and written in te reo Māori, is titled Na Tarimo i whakaari... Ko Rangiwewehi te iwi and it collected traditional stories of Flavell's Ngāti Rangiwewehi iwi.
At teacher's college, Flavell met Erana Hond, whom he married. They have five children.
Flavell taught at secondary and tertiary level for many years including as a physical education teacher in Kaikōura and at Fairfield College, Hamilton and Tauhara College, Taupō. He was head of the Māori studies department at Taranaki Polytechnic (now Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki) and established kohanga reo and kura kaupapa with his wife Erana.
In the 1990s, he was principal at St Stephen's, his former school, for three years. It was reported that Flavell tried unsuccessfully to change the school culture to reflect Māori tikanga rather than the hierarchical culture of a traditional English boys' boarding school that his deputy principal later described as being "maintained by violence, or at least the threat of it." Flavell flew the tino rangatiratanga flag on school grounds which the school board did not support. Reports of bullying at the school persisted after Flavell left and it was shuttered in December 2000.
Flavell worked as a consultant to various government agencies before becoming politically active during the foreshore and seabed controversy in 2004. He was an interim co-leader of the Māori Party as it was being established before the co-leadership was taken permanently by Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples. In 2021, he said part of his motivation to enter politics was to support Turia, who had resigned as a Labour Party member of Parliament because of that party's foreshore and seabed reforms.
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Te Ururoa Flavell
Te Ururoa James William Ben Flavell (born 7 December 1955), also known as Hemi Flavell, is a New Zealand politician.
Born in Tokoroa, Flavell was a teacher, principal, and education executive before beginning a political career. He won the Waiariki electorate as a Māori Party candidate in 2005 and held that seat until his electoral defeat in 2017. He was Māori Party co-leader from 2013 until 2018 alongside Dame Tariana Turia and Marama Fox. From 2014 to 2017, the final term of the Fifth National Government, Flavell was Minister for Māori Development and Minister for Whānau Ora.
Flavell was born in Tokoroa to James William Flavell and his fifth wife, Miria (Milly). His iwi (tribal) affiliations are to Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, and Te Arawa. Flavell's father died when he was young and he was raised by his single mother at Waiteti, Ngongotahā, north-west of Rotorua. His maternal grandmother was the weaver Ranginui Parewahawaha Leonard.
After attending Sunset Intermediate in Rotorua, Flavell was sent to St Stephen's School, a Māori boys' boarding school, where he learned to speak te reo Māori and was captain of the first XV and head boy. He studied Māori studies and anthropology at the University of Waikato and trained as a teacher. He also has a Master of Arts from the University of Waikato. His thesis, completed in 1986 and written in te reo Māori, is titled Na Tarimo i whakaari... Ko Rangiwewehi te iwi and it collected traditional stories of Flavell's Ngāti Rangiwewehi iwi.
At teacher's college, Flavell met Erana Hond, whom he married. They have five children.
Flavell taught at secondary and tertiary level for many years including as a physical education teacher in Kaikōura and at Fairfield College, Hamilton and Tauhara College, Taupō. He was head of the Māori studies department at Taranaki Polytechnic (now Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki) and established kohanga reo and kura kaupapa with his wife Erana.
In the 1990s, he was principal at St Stephen's, his former school, for three years. It was reported that Flavell tried unsuccessfully to change the school culture to reflect Māori tikanga rather than the hierarchical culture of a traditional English boys' boarding school that his deputy principal later described as being "maintained by violence, or at least the threat of it." Flavell flew the tino rangatiratanga flag on school grounds which the school board did not support. Reports of bullying at the school persisted after Flavell left and it was shuttered in December 2000.
Flavell worked as a consultant to various government agencies before becoming politically active during the foreshore and seabed controversy in 2004. He was an interim co-leader of the Māori Party as it was being established before the co-leadership was taken permanently by Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples. In 2021, he said part of his motivation to enter politics was to support Turia, who had resigned as a Labour Party member of Parliament because of that party's foreshore and seabed reforms.