Atareta "Dina" Carol Maxwell, born Atareta Morrison (30 August 1945 – 16 January 2007) was a kapa haka leader.

Early life

Maxwell was born to Temuera Morrison and Kahu (Gertie) Morrison. She was a sister to Sir Howard Morrison, Judith Tapsell, Rene Mitchell, Laurie Morrison, and Linda Morrison. Her brother Laurie later became the father of Temuera and Taini Morrison. Her first paying job was with Guide Kiddo's concert group at

Whakarewarewa Whakarewarewa (reduced version of Te Whakarewarewatanga O Te Ope Taua A Wahiao, meaning "The gathering place for the war parties of Wahiao", often abbreviated to Whaka by locals) is a Rotorua semi-rural geothermal area in the Taupō Volcanic ...

but her taste for competition came from joining the St Faiths Church Youth Club.

Career

Atareta and Trevor Maxwell led the leading kapa haka group Ngati Rangiwewehi for several years, taking it to the top of national competitions with performances at the

Edinburgh Military Tattoo The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and international military bands, and artistic performance teams on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the capital of ...

in Scotland and in 2005 opening the New Zealand Toi Maori exhibition in San Francisco. Her leadership skills have been acknowledged as the best in the country through winning the award for the coveted Aotearoa Traditional Maori Performing Arts Festival 'National Kai Tiaki Wahine (best female leader) - Most Outstanding Leader' at Ngaruawahia in 1992 and again in 1996 at Rotorua. She was also before her death a tutor of the

Western Heights High School Western Heights High School (Māori: ''Te Kura Tuarua o Kaitao Rotohokahoka'') is a co-educational state secondary school located in the northwestern suburbs of Rotorua, New Zealand. In April 2013, 1,887 students from Years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 1 ...

kapa haka group Te Roopu Manaaki; they came first equal in the 2004 national secondary schools kapa haka festival held in Wellington. In sport Maxwell captained both

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

and softball teams for

Rotorua Girls' High School Rotorua Girls' High School is a state school educating girls from Year 9 to Year 13, located in Rotorua, New Zealand. History Rotorua Girls' High School was formed in 1959 after Rotorua High School, founded in 1927, was divided into Rotorua ...

and the winning team of the very first Kurungaituku Netball Tournament played in Rotorua. She opened the 2005 Cricket World Cup with her rendition of Pokarekare Ana.

Death

Maxwell died at Waikato Hospital on 16 January 2007. She is survived by husband Trevor Maxwell, deputy mayor of

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...

, son Inia and daughter Kahurangi. Maxwell's body lay at Tamatekapua meeting house,

Te Papaiouru Marae Te Papaiouru is a marae at Ohinemutu, Rotorua, New Zealand. It is the home marae of the Ngāti Whakaue subtribes Ngāti Tae-o-Tū and Ngāti Tūnohopū. The marae's carved wharenui (meeting house), Tamatekapua, is named after Tama-te-kapua, the c ...

, Ohinemutu, until she was buried at Kauae Cemetery in Ngongotahā on January 20, 2007. The Māori king,

Tūheitia Paki Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII GCCT KStJ KCLJ (born Tūheitia Paki; 21 April 1955 – 30 August 2024), crowned as Kīngi Tūheitia, reigned as the Māori King from 2006 until his death in 2024. He was the eldest son of the previous Mā ...

and his Tainui-Waikato people brought her body back from Waikato hospital to her

Ohinemutu Ohinemutu is a suburb in Rotorua, New Zealand. It includes a living Māori village and the original settlement of Rotorua. Demographics The statistical area of Kuirau, which corresponds to Ohinemutu, covers and had an estimated population o ...

home.http://www.heavenaddress.com/funeral-notice/Atareta-Carol-Maxwell/83077/obituary.aspx

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, Atareta 1956 births 2007 deaths Atareta Maxwell New Zealand female dancers New Zealand Māori women singers People from Ngongotaha Te Arawa people 20th-century New Zealand women singers People educated at Rotorua Girls' High School