Laura O'Connell Rapira

Te Raukura O'Connell Rapira (born Laura O'Connell Rapira; 1988) is a grassroots leader, speaker and community activist from Aotearoa.^[1][2][3] 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.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]}

Te Raukura O'Connell Rapira
O'Connell Rapira at a reception for Wellington Sexual Abuse Help! Foundation at Government House, Wellington, New Zealand in June 2019
Born	Laura O'Connell Rapira 1988 (age 35–36) New Zealand
Occupation	Activist

Biography

O'Connell Rapira was born in Taranaki^[14] 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.^[15]

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.^[16][17][18] They were a founding team member of ActionStation and a co-founder of Tauiwi Tautoko and the Youth Movement Fund Aotearoa.^{[19][20][21][22]}

In 2020 O'Connell Rapira petitioned the New Zealand government to make Matariki a public holiday.^[23] 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.^[24] 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.^{[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]}

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.^[34]

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.^[35]

O'Connell Rapira is a contributing writer to New Zealand news website The Spinoff and a TEDxChristchurch speaker.^[36][37]

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.^[38][39]

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.^[40][41] Their identity and stand about a range of areas has made them a target for online abuse.^[42] O'Connell Rapira is also vegan.^[43]

References

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

External links

• Talk by O'Connell Rapira at an event in 2014 called Festival for the Future https://vimeo.com/106451253