Keri Kaa
Digital Illustration, 2020
Hohi Ngapera Te Moana Keri Kaa was a New Zealand writer, educator, and advocate for the Māori language. She was of Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Kahungunu descent. For fifteen years she was a lecturer at Wellington Teachers College, where she played a significant part in the founding and running of the college marae, Te Ako Pai. During her time in Wellington Kaa was involved with the Haeata Women’s Collective (a group of Māori women artists), the Herstory diary project, and the Waiata Koa collective.
Keri was politically astute and advocated for Womens’ rights, the retention of Māori land and language and education equality, as such she was often called upon to speak to Parliamentary Select Committees and international advisory groups.