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Sir Hector Busby KNZM MBE (1 August 1932 – 11 May 2019), also known as Heke-nuku-mai-nga-iwi Puhipi and Hec Busby,[1] was a New Zealand Māori navigator and traditional waka builder. He was recognised as a leading figure in the revival of traditional Polynesian navigation and ocean voyaging using wayfinding techniques.[2][3]
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He built 26 traditional waka,[4] including the double-hulled Te Aurere which has sailed over 30,000 nautical miles in the Pacific including Hawaii, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island.[5] In December 2012, Te Aurere and Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti (another waka built by Busby) reached Rapa Nui after a 5000-nautical-mile, four-month voyage from New Zealand.[6] The two waka then made the return journey to New Zealand, landing at Aurere Beach in Doubtless Bay in May 2013.[7]
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Busby received the New Zealand Commemoration Medal in 1990. In the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the Māori people.[8] In the 2014 New Year Honours, Busby was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Māori.[9] He was promoted to Knight Companion, for services to Māori, in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours.[10]
Busby was of mixed Pākehā and Māori heritage. He was from the Māori tribes of Te Rarawa and Ngāti Kahu.
Busby died on 11 May 2019.[11]
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