Piri Sciascia

Piri John Ngarangikaunuhia Sciascia ONZM (6 November 1946 – 18 January 2020) was a New Zealand Māori leader, kapa haka exponent, and university administrator.

[1] Sciascia was educated at Te Aute College, and then studied at the University of Otago, completing a BSc in 1968 and Bachelor of Arts in 1971.

[3] Sciascia was a lecturer at Palmerston North Teachers' College from 1975 until 1981, before serving as a director of the Council for Maori and South Pacific Arts from 1981 to 1989.

[2] Sciascia toured with the Māori Theatre Trust in the 1970s, and founded the Ngāti Kahungunu kapa haka group, Tamatea Ariki Nui, in 1977.

[1][5] After retiring from Victoria in 2016, Sciascia held the position of kaumātua to the governor-general, prime minister and Cabinet, giving advice on Māori protocol and language, and assisting in hosting visiting dignitaries.

Sciascia (left) and Te Amohaere Morehu accompanying Barack Obama at a pōwhiri (welcoming ceremony) at Government House, Auckland , in March 2018