Jane Mihingarangi Ruka Te Korako

Jane Mihingarangi Ruka Te Korako is a Maori Kuia (female elder and knowledge keeper) from the Hokianga in the Far North of the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. She has ancestral links to Ngapuhi, who is the largest Maori tribe (Iwi) in Aotearoa New Zealand, and Waitaha, who are the oldest peoples in New Zealand. Jane is the Chairperson of the Waitaha Grandmother Council.

Kuia Jane has enjoyed a rich and varied life. She  graduated as a nurse in 1968, after which she immediately set off to work in various places around the world, including Australia, Dubai, and then London. Jane re-located back to New Zealand from England after her mother had passed away, to care for her father.

Reflecting on her life’s journey, Jane feels extremely grateful for so many things, but most of all for the gift of people in her life, her mother, her daughter, her grandchildren, her brothers and sisters, and all of the wonderful friends she has made along the way. She has fond childhood memories of times she  spent with her mother, who was a beacon of light and love. She holds a very vivid memory of her walking through the dense forests of the North Island with her mother when she was a young child, listening to her mother explaining what the word “dappled” meant, as they both observed, with wonder,  the shimmering, dazzling streaks of sunshine spraying through lush green forest canopies. The beauty of this moment has remained etched in her memory.

When Jane returned to New Zealand she picked up the mantle which her mother had carried for so long , and began her current journey of advocating on behalf of her Waitaha people. Waitaha were the first peoples of Aotearoa. They were primarily based in the South Island, and were pushed out by Ngai Tahu, who were Maori from the North Island. Ngai Tahu eventually subsumed Waitaha, and have since then tried to completely erase their identity as a separate and distinct peoples. Jane and numerous other Waitaha have exhibited courage and determination in their attempts to keep their identity alive.

Kia kaha, kia manawanui (be strong, be steadfast) to Jane and her Waitaha people😊