As well as having 12 children, Mere Pirikahu has been a stalwart of Maori education and marae in South Taranaki.
At first unsure whether she wanted to accept it, the Nga Rauru kuia has just been awarded a Queen's Service Medal for her services to Maori.
Brought up at Pakaraka Marae, near Maxwell, Mrs Pirikahu is "steeped in taha Maori", her daughter Nan Pirikahu-Smith said. Now aged 77 she is still active in a range of areas.
Mrs Pirikahu's membership of the Maori Women's Welfare League dates back to 1960, when she joined with her sisters-in-law. She became a member of the Patea Maori Club in 1970.
She's a kuia of two marae. One of them is Pakaraka, where she was brought up.