Joe Hawke passes away, aged 82

Photo / File

Joe Hawke of Ngāti Whātua has died. He was 82.

Hawke assisted Dame Whina Cooper as secretary of the Matakite organisation during the 1975 land march and led the occupation of Takaparawhau (Bastion Point) in 1977-78.

He was a member of parliament for the Labour Party from 1996 to 2002 and served several terms as a member of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Māori Trust Board.

He was also instrumental in the tribe’s Treaty of Waitangi claims negotiations.

In 2008 he received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and the community.

His tangi is expected to be held at Ōrākei marae.