The Human Rights Commission is paying tribute to Ngati Kahu woman Merimeri Penfold, who has died aged 94.
Dr Penfold was born in Te Hapua in the Far North and was an academic, a writer and a poet. Peers described her as a rangatira [leader] in her own right.
She was a member of the Maori Education Foundation, the Auckland University Marae Establishment Committee and an executive member of the Broadcasting Commission from 1989 to 1991.
Dr Penfold was also part of the editorial team that worked on the seventh edition of the Williams' Dictionary of the Maori Language.
Another of her jobs was being a Human Rights Commissioner, where she made an impact with her work around the Treaty of Waitangi.
Chief Commissioner David Rutherford said Dr Penfold was able to explain the human aspect of the Treaty of Waitangi, rather than viewing it as a legal document.
He said she was a wahine toa [brave woman] and an unforgettable person who had left an unforgettable legacy.
