Angeline greensill

Angeline Ngahina Greensill (born 1948), a Māori academic and politician, is the Maori Party candidate standing for the electorate seat of Hauraki-Waikato in the New Zealand 2008 general election.

Greensill is of Tainui, Ngati Porou, and Ngati Paniora descent, was born in 1948 in Kirikiriroa and raised at Te Kopua, Whaingaroa on the turangawaewae of Tainui o Tainui ki Whaingaroa. She was educated at Raglan Primary, Raglan District High School, Hamilton Technical College, Hamilton Teachers College and at Waikato University. She holds a Trained Teachers Certificate, LLB (Bachelor of Laws) Bachelor of Social Sciences with 1st class Honours and is currently completing a Masters of Social Science.

Greensill has been an advocate for the protection of the environment and for Maori land rights of West Coast whanau and hapu in the Whaingaroa area since the mid-70's. Directly involved with land occupations at Raglan, Bastion Point, Awhitu, and others elsewhere. In the absence of the ability to entrench rangatiratanga into the core of our nation, Greensill has supported Maori political parties Mana Motuhake, Mana Maori and now the Maori Party as an intermediary step towards influencing change in an MMP environment. Greensill believes that Maori rights, recognised in the 1835 Declaration of Independence, affirmed in te Tiriti o Waitangi 1840, and ignored by successive governments, will one day be realised.

Greensill's first job was as a primary school teacher both in Aotearoa and in Brisbane. Between 1984-1996 while raising her young family, she worked for her hapu as co-ordinator of employment and skills training and conservation programmes for youth in the Raglan Catchment area. After completing a law degree she was employed by University of Waikato in 1999 to teach in the Department of Geography, Tourism and Environmental Planning specialising in treaties, Maori Geography and Resource Management.

Greensill is community minded and believes that solutions to some of the major issues affecting communities are found in the communities themselves. Often such initiatives are not recognised, under resourced or not resourced at all until positive outcomes are noticed.

Greensill is the daughter to Tex and Eva Rickard and acknowledges that their activities as political and community activists have influenced how she sees the world, relates to people and the environment that supports all life.

References and Sources

Release: Maori Party goes for gold to win seven Maori seats Contaminated kaimoana - thanks but no thanks says Greensill Contaminated kaimoana - thanks but no thanks says Greensill