Dr Dennis Ngāwhare is the Manager of Māori Heritage Recognition and Engagement at Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. He is also a Teaching Fellow at Te Kawa a Māui Maori Studies at Victoria University of Wellington.
Dennis is from Puniho Pā in Taranaki, and his tribe is Taranaki iwi.
At Heritage New Zealand, Dennis oversees the Māori Heritage Listing process for the New Zealand Heritage List Rārangi Kōrero and he works with whanau, marae, hapū and iwi in researching and writing about Wāhi Tapu and Wāhi Tūpuna.
He joins Emile Donovan to share a glimpse into the research that goes into these sites being added to the Heritage List.
Taranaki iwi member Dennis Ngawhare says land acquired under the public works act should be returned to its owners or their descendants when it becomes surplus to requirements. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
