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- Tāme Wairere Iti (born 1952) is a New Zealand Māori activist, artist, actor and social worker. Of Ngāi Tūhoe descent, Iti rose to prominence as a member of the protest group Ngā Tamatoa in 1970s Auckland, becoming a key figure of the Māori protest movement and the Māori renaissance. Since then, he has become a renowned activist for the rights of Māori and the process of co-governance and decolonisation. A native speaker of Te Reo Māori, Iti grew up at Ruatoki in Te Urewera, where he was barred from speaking Māori in school due to the government's anti-Māori language policy of the time. In the 1960s and 1970s Iti was involved in protests against the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa, and in many Māori protest actions as a member of Ngā Tamatoa. He is also known for his stalwart support of Tūhoe culture and tribal identity. Iti has stood unsuccessfully for the New Zealand Parliament on four occasions. Iti is known for his provocative style of protest and multidisciplinary art, which occasionally has courted controversy, and his distinctive dress. He often wears tailored shirts or coats, as well as top and bowler hats. In recent years, Iti has become more widely known for his art, which often carries a political message supporting Māori or Tūhoe rights; in 2022 he received a Laureate Award from the Arts Foundation of New Zealand for his works. He also co-produced and starred in the film Muru, inspired by the events of the 2007 police raids and by the Crown's historic treatment of Tūhoe. In 2022 he presented an art exhibition I Will Not Speak Māori as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the 1972 Māori language petition. For his extensive activism in support of tino rangatiratanga, indigenous rights and the Māori language, Iti has been described by Wellington City Council as a national treasure. (en)
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