James Hēnare

Sir James Hēnare
Hēnare, c. 1940s
Born	(1911-11-18)18 November 1911 Motatau, New Zealand
Died	2 April 1989(1989-04-02) (aged 77) Kawakawa, New Zealand
Allegiance	New Zealand
Service/branch	2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force
Years of service	1940–1946
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Commands held	Māori Battalion (1945–46)
Battles/wars	Second World War North African Campaign First Battle of El Alamein Second Battle of El Alamein Italian Campaign Battle of Monte Cassino
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches

Sir James Clendon Tau Hēnare, KBE, DSO (18 November 1911 – 2 April 1989) was a New Zealand tribal leader, military officer, farmer and community leader. He fought for four years with the Māori Battalion during the Second World War, was wounded at El Alamein, and with the rank of lieutenant colonel was the battalion's commanding officer when the war ended. He stood for Parliament for the National Party in the Northern Maori electorate on several occasions: 1946, 1949, 1951, 1963, and the 1963 by-election.

Biography

Of Māori descent, Hēnare identified with the Ngāpuhi iwi. He was born in Motatau, Northland, the son of Taurekareka Hēnare and Hera Paerata. He was educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland and at Massey Agricultural College.

In the 1966 Queen's Birthday Honours, Hēnare was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the Māori people. In the 1978 New Year Honours, he was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the community, especially Māori affairs.

Tau Henare, a member of parliament between 1993 and 2014, is his great-nephew. Peeni Henare, who was elected to parliament in 2014, is a grandson.