“It can be hard for families to find the money to pay for training and tertiary education.”
Ngarewa (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahine, Ngā Rauru, Pakakohi, Tangahoe) grew up at Pariroa Pā at Kakaramea, north of Pātea.
He had many wonderful memories of his childhood there, he said, and he has been chairman of the Pariroa Pā Trust since 1994.
Ngarewa, like many of his contemporaries in Pātea, lost his livelihood when the freezing works closed in 1982. He had worked there for 23 years.
After working on some Project Employment Programme (PEP) schemes of the time, Ngarewa was persuaded by his wife Colleen to retrain as a teacher.
“Colleen had done the training herself. She worked as a cleaner at Pātea Primary School before doing her training and she eventually became the principal,” he said.
“So then it was my turn and I went to Palmerston North College of Education in 1991.”
Ngarewa became a teacher at Pātea High School where he was mentored by Haami Prime, older brother of entertainer Dalvanius and head of the Māori studies department.
“He was an incredible man and I was honoured that he believed in me as his successor.
“I loved teaching and have remained involved in education because it is a way to serve and support the community and that’s what I like to do.”
Pātea Primary School closed in 2004 and merged with the high school to become Pātea Area School in 2005.
When the school was struggling in 2016, a dynamic principal was needed to come in to revitalise the curriculum.
That principal was Hemi and Colleen’s daughter Nicola Ngarewa who is now the principal of Spotswood College in New Plymouth and was appointed as chairwoman of the Teaching Council of Aotearoa NZ in 2019.
Her sister Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was elected to Parliament in 2020. She is Te Paati Māori co-leader and was the party’s candidate for the Te Tai Hauāuru electorate. She is also leader and chief executive of Ngāti Ruanui iwi.
Hemi Ngarewa said he and Colleen also have two sons and 24 grandchildren.
“Colleen is Irish and she has the intellect and determination that she has passed on to our children,” he said.
“We’re very proud of all our children and our mokopuna.”
As a JP Ngarewa has given 12 years of service assisting members of the judiciary at Hāwera District Court and is an executive member of the South Taranaki Justice of the Peace Association.
He also served as a volunteer firefighter for 20 years and has been an iwi liaison officer for Taranaki police since 2009, making himself available around the clock to assist with tikanga around sensitive cases.
And Ngarewa has also served as a lay minister for the Pātea Māori Methodist Church since 2000.
Although several members of his whānau were part of the group that made Pātea world famous in 1984 with the hit song Poi E, Ngarewa wasn’t in the club at the time.
“I was a member of the Pātea Māori Club but not during the Poi E era,” he said.
Ngarewa’s contributions to the community were recognised with a South Taranaki District Council Citizens Award in 2018.
“I couldn’t do any of the things I do without support from Colleen, my whānau and our community,” he said.
“I am honoured on behalf of us all.”
