James Te Wharehuia Milroy (24 July 1937 – 7 May 2019) was a New Zealand academic and expert in the
Māori language
Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...
. He was of
Ngāi Tūhoe
Ngāi Tūhoe (), often known simply as Tūhoe, is a Māori people, Māori iwi (tribe) of New Zealand. It takes its name from an ancestral figure, Tūhoe-pōtiki. ''Tūhoe'' is a Māori-language word meaning 'steep' or 'high noon'. Tūhoe people a ...
descent. Together with
Tīmoti Kāretu
Sir Tīmoti Samuel Kāretu (born 29 April 1937) is a New Zealand academic of Māori language and performing arts. He served as the inaugural head of the Department of Māori at the University of Waikato, and rose to the rank of professor. He wa ...
and
Pou Temara
Sir William Te Rangiua "Pou" Temara (born 1948) is a New Zealand academic. He is professor of Māori language and tikanga Māori (practices) at Waikato University and a cultural authority on (oratory), ''whakapapa'' (genealogy) and ''karakia'' ...
, Milroy was a lecturer at Te Panekiretanga o te Reo (the Institute of Excellence in the Māori Language), which the three professors founded in 2004.
Biography
Born on 24 July 1937, Milroy was the son of Kararaina Takurua and Frederick Milroy, and a grandson of the Tūhoe chief Takurua Tamarau. He was raised in
Ruatoki
Ruatoki North is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty of New Zealand, just south of the small town of Tāneatua and approximately south of the town of Whakatāne. The Whakatāne River runs northwards through the Ruatoki Valley and has formed broa ...
and attended
Rotorua Boys' High School
Rotorua Boys' High School (RBHS) is a state school educating boys from Year 9 to Year 13. It is situated just outside the Rotorua CBD at the intersection of Old Taupo Road and Pukuatua Street in Rotorua, New Zealand. The school is governed by ...
. During the early 1990s, Milroy became a listed member of the
Waitangi Tribunal
The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: ''Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi'') is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on c ...
. He worked and lectured at the
University of Waikato
The University of Waikato (), established in 1964, is a Public university, public research university located in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. An additional campus is located in Tauranga.
The university performs research in nume ...
in the Māori Department, alongside Tīmoti Kāretu.
In the
2003 Queen's Birthday Honours
The 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours were announced on 14 June 2003 for the United Kingdom and on 2 June 2003 for New Zealand.
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.
United Kingdom
Knight Bachelo ...
, Milroy was appointed a
Companion of the Queen's Service Order
The King's Service Order () established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant of Queen regnant, Queen Elizabeth II on 13 March 1975, is used to recognise "valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to t ...
for public services. In 2005, he was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the University of Waikato, and in 2009, he was a recipient of the Māori
Creative New Zealand
The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government established in 1963. It invests in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes a ...
Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ...
, for services to Māori language, in the
2012 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2012 were announced on 31 December 2011 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand,
He was predeceased by his wife, Marion Rongomaianiwaniwa Milroy (née Fabling), in 2010. She was a descendant of the
Te Arawa
Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori people, Māori iwi and hapū (tribes and sub-tribes) of New Zealand who trace their ancestry to the ''Arawa (canoe), Arawa'' migration canoe (''waka''). The tribes are based in the Rotorua and Bay of Plent ...
and
Ngāti Kahungunu
Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi (tribe) located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The Kahungunu iwi also comprises 86 hapū (sub-tribes ...
tribes and a female speaker for the Te Panekiretanga Māori Language Institute. Milroy was buried beside his wife at Kauae Cemetery in
Ngongotahā
Ngongotahā is a small settlement on the western shores of Lake Rotorua in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located northwest of the Rotorua central business district, and is considered as a suburb of Rotorua. It is part of the Rotorua ...