Representative for Awarua

Michael Stevens

Through his maternal pōua, Tiny Metzger, Mike descends from John Kerle Haberfield (nō Kāti Rakiāmoa me Kāi Te Ruahikihiki) and Elizabeth Noki Haberfield (nō Kāi Te Ruahikihiki). Raised at Bluff, and in the annual tītī harvest, Mike and his whānau are well-known for their dedication to he mahi pōhā.

Between 1999 and 2004 Mike completed an BA(Hons) majoring in History and an LLB at the University of Otago. He subsequently completed a PhD in History and worked as a lecturer for six years. Over this time he published a series of essays on Kāi Tahu history for which the Royal Society Te Apārangi awarded him a Te Kōpūnui Māori Research Award. In 2018 Mike established himself as a freelance historian and scaled up his involvement with Te Pae Kōrako (the Ngāi Tahu Archive Advisory Committee) and the Ngāi Tahu Archive. As part of that he contributed several biographies to volumes 1 and 2 of the award-winning Tāngata Ngāi Tahu, the latter of which he co-edited.

Te Rūnaka o Awarua appointed Mike as its Alternate Representative to Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu in mid-2017. He held that position until November 2023 when he became Representative. Mike is a trustee of Te Rūnaka o Awarua Charitable Trust and a gazetted Tāngata Tiaki. He is married with three children.