Laura O'Connell Rapira explained

Te Raukura O'Connell Rapira
Birth Name:Laura O'Connell Rapira
Birth Place:New Zealand
Occupation:Activist

Te Raukura O'Connell Rapira (born Laura O'Connell Rapira; 1988) is a New Zealand speaker and community activist.[1] [2] They advocate for Indigenous land rights, Mana Motuhake, police and prison abolition, fully funded mental and sexual health services, LGBTQIA+ equality, the political power of young people and environmental justice.[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Biography

O'Connell Rapira was born in Taranaki[13] and later moved to West Auckland where they attended Green Bay High School. They are Māori of the iwi Te Ātiawa, Ngāruahine, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Whakaue.[14]

As a young person they were part of an accelerator programme for social enterprise initiatives. From this O'Connell Rapira co-founded RockEnrol in 2014 to encourage young people to enrol and vote in New Zealand's general elections.[15] [16] [17] They were a founding team member of ActionStation and a co-founder of Tauiwi Tautoko and the Youth Movement Fund Aotearoa.[18] [19] [20] [21]

In 2020, O'Connell Rapira petitioned the New Zealand government to make Matariki a public holiday.[22] In 2022 the New Zealand government passed the Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act and the first Matariki public holiday was held on Friday 24 June 2022.[23] O'Connell Rapira has also been involved in petitioning the New Zealand government for Māori wards, a complete overhaul of Oranga Tamariki, increased government funding for sexual and mental health, gun law reform, violence prevention, increased income support and an end to online hate and abuse.[24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31]

From 2021 to 2023, O'Connell Rapira was the Executive Director, Movement Building at the Foundation for Young Australians where their focus was on building the political power of youth movements.[32]

In November 2023, O'Connell Rapira launched the Narratives for Change Fellowship with The Workshop in collaboration with their former ActionStaton co-director Marianne Elliott.[33]

O'Connell Rapira is a contributing writer to New Zealand news website The Spinoff and a TEDxChristchurch speaker.[34] [35]

Recognition

In 2017, O'Connell Rapira was nominated for the Te Whetū Maiangi Award for Young Achievers and the Kiwibank Young New Zealander of the Year.[36] [37]

Personal life

O'Connell Rapira identifies as queer and takatāpui and is frank about this being a driver for them to seek social justice and equality in society.[38] [39] Their identity and stand about a range of areas has made them a target for online abuse.[40] O'Connell Rapira is also vegan.[41]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ani-Oriwia Adds. 21 July 2017. Rising Star finalist Laura O'Connell Rapira the new face of activism. 9 July 2020. Māori Television. en.
  2. Web site: Instagram . 2024-01-28 . www.instagram.com.
  3. Web site: Greive . Duncan . 2020-12-04 . The Fold: Turning words into action, with Laura O'Connell Rapira . 2024-01-28 . The Spinoff . en.
  4. Web site: 2017-05-09 . Mental health review letter signed by over 12,000 . 2024-01-28 . RNZ . en-nz.
  5. Web site: Kōrero with Laura O'Connell Rapira - Auckland Women's Centre . 2024-01-28.
  6. Web site: ActionStation . 2018-10-06 . They're our whānau: Māori perspectives of NZ's justice system . 2024-01-28 . E-Tangata . en-NZ.
  7. Web site: Stuff . 2024-01-28 . www.stuff.co.nz.
  8. Web site: 2018-11-13 . Police and Pride: We need to heal our relationships first . 2024-01-28 . RNZ . en-nz.
  9. Web site: 2019-07-30 . 'Hands off our Tamariki' heads to Parliament . 2024-01-28 . RNZ . en-nz.
  10. Web site: Stuff . 2024-01-28 . www.stuff.co.nz.
  11. Web site: Stuff . 2024-01-28 . www.stuff.co.nz.
  12. Web site: Our community spread love for LGBTIQ+ and takatāpui whānau . 2024-01-28 . Our community spread love for LGBTIQ+ and takatāpui whānau . en.
  13. Web site: McLaren. Esther. 18 July 2017. Laura O'Connell Rapira. 9 July 2020. The Generosity Journal. en.
  14. Web site: //055 Laura O'Connell Rapira, community organiser – Welcome to NUKU . 2024-01-28 . nukuwomen.co.nz.
  15. Web site: Laura O'Connell Rapira. 9 July 2020. NZHistory, New Zealand history online. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
  16. Web site: Laura O'Connell Rapira. 22 July 2020. Inspiring Stories. en-NZ.
  17. Web site: 2014-06-04 . Mass appeal: Making voting matter . 2024-01-28 . RNZ . en-nz.
  18. Web site: The Price of Purpose Podcast . 2024-01-28 . New Zealand Podcasts . en.
  19. Web site: Craig . Julia . Love Thy Trolls: What Pākehā Can Do About Online Racism . 2024-01-28 . Pantograph Punch.
  20. Web site: 2022-02-22 . Tauiwi Tautoko: Countering Racism with Listening . 2024-01-28 . Open Collective . en.
  21. Web site: ActionStation Annual Report 2020 The whakapapa of ActionStation . 2024-01-28 . ActionStation . en.
  22. Web site: One step closer to Matariki potentially becoming a public holiday . 2024-01-28 . Te Ao Māori News . en.
  23. News: McClure . Tess . 2022-06-23 . Matariki: 'historic' moment as New Zealand celebrates first Indigenous public holiday . 2024-01-28 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  24. Web site: Rapira . Laura O'Connell . 2018-05-14 . Why we need Māori wards . 2024-01-28 . The Spinoff . en.
  25. 7 November 2019 . Changes to Oranga Tamariki welcomed by petitioners . Scoop News . 2024-01-28.
  26. Web site: Rapira . Laura O'Connell . 2020-12-07 . Guns have no place in a peaceful society . 2024-01-28 . The Spinoff . en.
  27. Web site: 2020-12-02 . Māori wards petition delivered to Parliament: 'Not a case of if, but when' . 2024-01-28 . RNZ . en-nz.
  28. Web site: We helped secure the biggest ever investment in sexual health . 2024-01-28 . We helped secure the biggest ever investment in sexual health . en.
  29. Web site: Team . Waatea . Website . 2018-12-16 . Wāhine call for violence action . 2024-01-28 . Waatea News: Māori Radio Station . en-NZ.
  30. Web site: 2019-08-30 . Free lunches for kids scheme not bold enough - ActionStation . 2024-01-28 . RNZ . en-nz.
  31. Web site: 2024-01-28 . Peter Calder: Fresh faces stir online revolution . 2024-01-28 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
  32. Web site: 2023-02-01 . Commons Conversations #7: Laura O'Connell Rapria and Holly Hammond . 2024-01-28 . 3CR Community Radio . en.
  33. Web site: Narratives for Change Fellowship . 2024-01-28 . The Workshop . en-US.
  34. Web site: Laura O'Connell Rapira. 22 July 2020. The Spinoff.
  35. Web site: 2019 . Laura O'Connell Rapira . 9 July 2020 . TEDxChristchurch . en-NZ.
  36. Web site: Te Whetū Maiangi Award for Young Achievers. 22 July 2020. Māori Television. en.
  37. Web site: Facebook . 2024-01-28 . www.facebook.com.
  38. Web site: On culture, young people and activism by Laura O'Connell Rapira . 9 July 2020 . Storyo . en-US.
  39. Web site: leoniepihama . 2019-04-23 . An open letter to Aotearoa from Takatāpui and LGBTIQ whānau . 2024-01-28 . kaupapamaori.com . en-US.
  40. Web site: Case Study – Laura O'Connell Rapira . 9 July 2020 . Amnesty International NZ . en.
  41. Web site: McKibbin . Philip . 2018-11-16 . But what about boil up? How Māori are embracing veganism . 2024-01-28 . The Spinoff . en.

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