Pioneer for women in horse racing and advocate for Ng¯ai Tahu wh¯anui

A pioneer for women in horse racing and a strong advocate for Nga¯i Tahu wha¯nui, Sandra Cook, has died.

A pioneer for women in horse racing and a strong advocate for Nga¯ i Tahu wha¯ nui, Sandra Cook, has died.

Cook died on September 18, 2021, with her much-loved life partner Cathy at her side.

Born May 8, 1956, in Invercargill, she was the third of four daughters to the late Ivan Cook and Sylvia Malcolm (ne´ e Harding), and step-daughter to Reg Malcolm.

Through the Harding line, she was of Waitaha, Nga¯ ti Ma¯ moe and Nga¯ i Tahu descent, with her tupuna Te Whareraki buried at O¯ raka (Colac Bay) – a place that has always held great significance for Sandra.

Growing up in the midst of numerous Cook, Dawson, Skerrett and Harding cousins, she became known for her keen intellect, her unshakeable stubbornness, and her absolute loyalty – traits that she would continue to epitomise for the rest of her life.

Cook’s passion for horses began from an early age, when she would disappear on her bike on weekends and school holidays to rural south Invercargill to visit friends who had ponies and horses. When she was fifteen years old, she left home for her first job working at a racing stable in Duntroon.

During the next five years, she served her apprenticeship at several leading trotting and racing stables throughout the country, as well as completing one season as a stud groom, before she eventually settled in O¯ rari. She was one of the pioneers for full participation of women in horse racing, and at the age of 21 became the first female professional trainer/driver in the trotting code.

When she was subsequently granted an open trainer’s licence by the New Zealand Racing Conference she became the youngest person and only female to hold all three licences.

Her career as a horse trainer and driver came to an end due to two spinal injuries that nearly left her wheelchair bound, her eventual recovery thanks only to a very skilled surgeon and her own indomitable spirit.

It was at this time that she made the decision to attend law school, and it was during her studies that she first met Ta¯ Tipene O’Regan and became involved with Te Kere¯ me – the Nga¯ i Tahu Claim.

She began working for the Nga¯ i Tahu Ma¯ ori Trust Board in late 1995 as a Claims Officer, and later became part of the C Team – the specialist group that carried out the detailed research and clause by clause negotiations, as well as working with officials and staff of various governance departments.

It was during this time that she found a purpose for her prodigious memory, unmatched attention to detail, and refusal to leave no stone unturned.

This work was also her initiation into the importance of mahinga kai to Nga¯ i Tahu wha¯ nui.

Mahinga kai was the ninth tall tree of Te Kere¯ me, and Cook’s work included the cultural redress sections of the Nga¯ i Tahu Deed of Settlement, which stipulated the return of the Rakiura Tı¯tı¯ Islands and Rarotoka to Nga¯ i Tahu ownership.

Cook continued to work on behalf of her ru¯ naka and iwi in various roles during the past 20 years.

She poured her heart and soul into securing a better future for Nga¯ i Tahu wha¯ nui, and the impact of her mahi will continue to be felt for generations to come. The many highlights of her career include her work on the Nga¯ i Tahu Settlement, assisting the Rakiura Tı¯tı¯ Islands Administering Body to prepare a management plan and bylaws, the implementation of the Relativity Mechanism and the establishment of Te Pu¯ tahitanga o Te Waipounamu.

She served as chair of O¯ raka Aparima Ru¯ naka for several years and later as its alternate representative to Te Ru¯ nanga o Nga¯ i Tahu, and held numerous governance roles including for the Department of Conservation and Southern District Health Board.

This included her appointment to Te Waiau Mahika Kai Trust in 2017, and her appointment by the Conservation Minister to the statutory body Guardians of Lakes Manapo¯ uri, Monowai and Te A¯ nau.

She was passionate about conservation, and a huge part of her legacy is the O¯ raka Aparima Ru¯ naka restoration project on Rarotoka, a small island off the coast of Colac Bay.

During the course of 20 odd years, Cook and Cathy led this project which involved dozens of volunteer trips to Rarotoka.

The aspiration was to clear the island of gorse and scrub, and reestablish its native plantings and birdlife – as well as maintaining its predator free status. She was also a major contributor to conservation work at Te Ko¯ awa Tu¯ roa o Takitimu, although she would be the first to insist that her mahi there and on Rarotoka was merely progressing the vision laid out by her dear friend and mentor Jane Davis.

Cook has been described as fierce and formidable – and of course she was – but those who knew her well saw also her immense patience and kindness, her advocacy on behalf of others, her tireless grit and determination and her wicked sense of humour.

Although her death will reverberate throughout the iwi and indeed te ao Ma¯ ori, Cook’s loss is most strongly felt by her immediate wha¯ nau: her life partner Cathy, sisters Linda and Karen, and nephews and niece Christopher, Anna and Michael.

A private service has been held with a public memorial to be planned later in 2021.

Me he manawa tı¯tı¯ me to¯ na hiringa, kia hoki ano¯ ki te whatumanawa o te wha¯ nau.

Like the courageous heart of the tı¯tı¯ in all its glory, let the passion of the people return.

When she was subsequently granted an open trainer’s licence by the New Zealand Racing Conference she became the youngest person and only female to hold all three licences.