Tama Huata
Māori performing arts leader
About Tama Huata
Lived 1950 – 2015 (aged 64).
Tama Tūranga Huata (15 April 1950 – 11 February 2015) was a Māori performing arts leader in New Zealand.
Biography Born in 1950 of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Porou descent, Huata was the third son of Wiremu Te Tau Huata—a chaplain to the Māori Battalion during World War II—and Ringahora Hēni Ngākai Ybel Tomoana. His maternal grandfather was Paraire Tomoana, the composer of "Pokarekare Ana".
Huata was a central figure in the renaissance of the Māori performing arts. and founder of the Waiata Māori Music Awards in 2007. In 2012, he received Te Tohu Toi Kē (the "Making a Difference" award) from Creative New Zealand at Te Waka Toi Awards, for his significant contribution to the development and retention of Māori arts and culture.
Huata died at his home in Napier in 2015.
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Important facts
People in Tama Huata's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Tama Huata?
Māori performing arts leader
When was Tama Huata born?
Tama Huata was born on 15 April 1950.
When did Tama Huata die?
Tama Huata died on 11 February 2015 in Napier.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Tama Huata. https://biography.guide/tama-huata/
MLA: "Tama Huata." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/tama-huata/.
Chicago: "Tama Huata." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/tama-huata/.
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