He is known for his leadership and advocacy of Māori cultural recognition and development, and has raised the profile of Māori culture in New Zealand.
Hohepa is a retired professor of Māori language at the University of Auckland, and was the first to advocate for a marae at the university.
In the 1980s, he wrote a report for the government on the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal and repeal of the Māori Affairs Act.
From 1997 to 2007, he served as the commissioner of the Māori Language Commission, heavily promoting te reo Māori and developing proficiency testing.
He served as a member of Te Waka Toi, the Māori Board of Creative New Zealand, from 2004 to 2008.
He has been a kaumātua for numerous organisations, including as a member of Haerewa, the Māori Cultural Advisory Group of Auckland Art Gallery.
As part of this role, he led the New Zealand delegation accompanying an exhibition of 50 portraits of Māori by pre-eminent painter Gottfried Lindauer to Europe in late 2014.
Dr Hohepa continues to teach te reo Māori and has received awards for his contributions to strengthening Te Reo Rangatira.
