Arohaana Sciascia

Arohaana Sciascia was born in Hokio, Levin, and was educated at Otaki Primary School and Horowhenua College. She left school at seventeen and went into retail work until her marriage to Sonny Sciascia. She had five children and assisted in office work in the early years of Sonny’s business. Since its inception, Arohaana was a member of the Ngatokowaru Branch of the Māori Women’s Welfare League. She was president of the Raukawa District Council for some years and was on the vestry of Rangiatea Church. Arohaana was a netball player for Horowhenua Reps for 10 years and was a New Zealand umpire. In the 1983 she and her husband went into book selling in Levin. Arohaana and her sisters wrote an unpublished account about their father, Harry Jacob (Hohepa Hakopa) for the Rugby Museum in Palmerston North. They also wrote a biographical article about their mother, Lucy Jacob, which was published in the Biography of New Zealand Women: Ko kui ma te Kaupapa. Sciascia also wrote poetry which remains unpublished. She was a life member of the Māori Women’s Welfare League, and a life member of the Horowhenua Netball Umpire Association and the Horowhenua Netball Association. She received a Merit Service Award for the Horowhenua Netball Association.

Biographical sources

• Phone conversation and correspondence with Sciascia, 14 and 20 July 1998.
• Phone conversation with Joanna Selby, 5 Aug 2004.