Hugh was born to parents Janet née Anderson, an English physiotherapist, and Wiremu Paora and christened Ian Hugh Paora. While a child, his surname was changed from Paora to Kāwharu, in remembrance of his paternal great-grandfather
Paora Kawharu (Hugh's grandfather had the
patronym Hauraki Paora). In 1992, he was awarded the Elsdon Best Memorial Medal by the
Polynesian Society, and in 1994 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. In the
2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, Kāwharu was appointed to the
Order of New Zealand. He was patron of the
Pitt Rivers Museum and an honorary
Fellow of
Exeter College, Oxford. Kāwharu died in Auckland in 2006.
Merata Kawharu and
Amokura Kawharu are two of his daughters. ==References==