Hinemanu Ohia was born in Parawera, south of Hamilton and was raised by her grandmother Miraka Onehi nee Te Ika Maupoho for her first five years. Hinemanu returned home to her parents when she began school. Hinemanu taught at Te Matai Māori School in Te Puke, and then at Papamoa Māori School (now called Otepou School). She went on to teach at Tauranga Girls’ College. In 1942 she married Bill Ohia and together they worked on their dairy farm and had a town milk supply licence. They later moved into orcharding kiwi fruit, fejoas, avocadoes, boysenberries and three varieties of apple. Hinemanu worked in public relations in Tauranga and was Māori news presenter at Radio B.O.P. Hinemanu taught Māori language at Waikato University. Hinemanu was a member of the Tauranga Hospital Board and is a member of Whetu o Terangi Marae.
Biographical sources
- Phone calls and correspondence from Hinemanu Ohia 4 Feb., 19 Feb., and 7 May 1998.
- Email correspondence from Rahera Ohia, 7 July 2004.
Non-fiction
- "The Māori Language." Journal of the Tauranga Historical Society) 43 (1971): 22-26.
- Co-authored with Bruce Biggs and M. J. Drayton.