Wellington iwi leader Ihakara Puketapu, known to many as Kara. Photo: Unicef
Wellington iwi leader Ihakara Puketapu has died at the age of 89.
Known to many as Kara, the Te Āti Awa kaumātua was the youngest person to be appointed permanent head of a government department when at 43 he became Secretary of Maori Affairs - the first Maori to hold the position.
He served in that role for six years, and later chaired the management committee of Te Māori, the first international exhibition of Māori objects as art.
Kara Puketapu will lie in state at Waiwhetu Marae in Lower Hutt on Sunday before burial on Tuesday.
