Tāme Wairere Iti (born 1952) is a New Zealand Māori activist, artist, actor and social worker.

Iti is known for his provocative style of protest and multidisciplinary art, which occasionally has courted controversy, and his distinctive dress.

He also co-produced and starred in the film Muru, inspired by the events of the 2007 police raids and by the Crown's historic treatment of Tūhoe.

For his extensive activism in support of tino rangatiratanga, indigenous rights and the Māori language, Iti has been described by Wellington City Council as a national treasure.

[6] Told he was born on a train near Rotorua, Iti was raised by his great-granduncle and aunt, Hukarere and Te Peku Purewa, in the custom known as whāngai (adoption within the same family) on a farm at Ruatoki in the Urewera area.

[7] On leaving school, he took up an apprenticeship in painting and decorating after completing a year-long Māori trade training scheme in Christchurch.

[8] During his time in Christchurch he was a local wrestling champion and had the opportunity to represent New Zealand at the 1974 Commonwealth Games, but did not take it due to his growing interest in activism.

[10] Iti was employed by Tūhoe Hauora, a health service, for several years in the 2000s as a social worker dealing with drug and alcohol problems.

[8][19] In 2019 he was activist-in-residence for a week at Massey University, as part of which he held a public talk and a workshop, and released a paper on decolonialisation.

[25] Iti explained this act as reference to the 1860s East Cape War:[26] "We wanted them to feel the heat and smoke, and Tūhoe outrage and disgust at the way we have been treated for 200 years.".

[27] The police subsequently charged Iti with unlawfully possessing and firing a shotgun in a public place.

[31] Iti lodged an appeal in which his lawyer, Annette Sykes, argued that Crown law did not stretch to the ceremonial area in front of a marae's wharenui.

While recognising that events occurred in "a unique setting", the court did not agree with Sykes' submission about Crown law.

However Justices Hammond, O'Regan and Wilson found that his prosecutors failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Iti's actions caused "requisite harm" under section 51 of the Arms Act.

The Court of Appeal described Iti's protest as "a foolhardy enterprise" and warned him not to attempt anything similar again.

[14] In September 2011 most of the alleged terrorists originally arrested with Iti had all terrorism and firearms charges dropped.

Because of Iti's arrest as part of the 2007 raids, Ponifasio had to convince the New Zealand High Court to relax his bail conditions and allow him to travel on the 2008 tour.

The installation involves various aspects including steel sculptures, a livestreamed pōhiri performance by Iti, projection of Iti writing "I will not speak Māori", with the "not" crossed out, on the walls of Te Papa, a painting installation with the same words on the Wellington waterfront, and a nationwide poster campaign.

"[1] The Wellington City Council describes him as "a national treasure and an icon of Māoridom... his work spans half a century, and has seen him become a household name.

Children of the Revolution is about the children of political activists in New Zealand and also featured anti-apartheid leader John Minto and his teenage son; Green Party member of Parliament Sue Bradford and her journalist daughter Katie Azania Bradford; Māori Party member of Parliament Hone Harawira and his wife Hilda Harawira with their daughter Te Whenua Harawira (organiser of the 2004 Seabed and Foreshore Land March) and musician and former political prisoner Tigilau Ness with his son, hip hop artist Che Fu.