Pita Sharples

Pita Russell Sharples, CBE, ( born July 20, 1941 in Waipawa, Hawke's Bay) is a New Zealand politician and since 2004 one of the co -leader of the Māori Party.

Life and work

Pita Sharples was born on July 20, 1941 in Waipawa, Hawke 's Bay. He calls himself the iwi Ngai Te Rangi Kikiri o te, a branch of Ngāti Kahungunu belonging. Sharples lives 20 km west of Waipukurau in Takapau. He is married and has five children.

Study

Sharples attended from 1946 to 1952, the Primary School in Takapau, moved in 1954 to the District High School in Waipukurau, Te Aute College, followed by Pukehou, Hawke 's Bay in 1957 and graduating there in 1960.

He studied from 1961 to 1966 Geography and Anthropology at the University of Auckland and shot this with a Bachelor of Arts. His diploma as a teacher he received after completion of studies at the Auckland Post Primary Teacher 's College, which lasted from 1963 to 1966. This was followed by the Master in Anthropology in 1968 and a doctorate in 1976 in anthropology and linguistics, obtained respectively at the University of Auckland.

Professional career

Professional Sharples in 1965 at Lynfield College in Auckland working as a teacher, followed from 1966 to 1969 the offer as a lecturer at the Department of Anthropology of the University of Auckland to teach. In 1972 he took over the post of Chief Executive Officer ( CEO) of the Office of the Race Relations Conciliator and changed from 1981 to 1990 in the Department of Māori Affairs, where he was Director of Culture.

At the 1990 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand, he drew from 1989 to 1990 as Director of the Māori program responsible. In 1991 he was consultant of the Department of Justice, respectively, followed by the Ministry of Education 1992, Ministry of Health in 1993 and for the Sky City Casino Project in the years 1993 to 1996.

From 1997 to 2000 he worked at the International Institute for Research into Indigenous and Maori Education and took the same time as a visiting professor at the School of Education at the University of Auckland and in 1998 for a year at the International Research Institute for Maori and Indigenous Education at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Auckland. Followed in 2001 for one year part-time professor at the Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland. In 2003 he became director of the Arapita Ltd and 2005 Paerangi Ltd., positions he currently still holds.

Political career

With the establishment of the Māori Party in July 2004 was elected chairman of the party equal Pita Sharples Tariana Turia next.

After the Māori Party was able to increase in the parliamentary elections in 2008 their seats to five, the elected Prime Minister John Key of the National Party, the Māori Party made ​​a bid for government involvement. The Māori Party took despite considerable reservations and concerns to the offer, but declined to Cabinet participation of its ministers.

Pita Sharples Minister of Māori Affairs was, Associate Minister of Education and Associate Minister of Corrections. His constituency is the Māori Electorate Tamaki Makaurau includes part of Waitakere and Manukau Auckland the Council. Sharples won this constituency for the first time in 2005 and outclassed with a vote share of 52.35 % the then owner John Tamihere constituency of the Labour Party ( 9.44% ). 2008 Sharples was able to increase its share of the vote even to 65.98 %.

Awards

1990 got Sharples for his contributions to the education system in New Zealand the CBE of the Order of the British Empire.