Hekia Parata

The Honourable Hekia Parata
45th Minister of Education
In office 12 December 2011 – 2 May 2017
Prime Minister	John Key Bill English
Preceded by	Anne Tolley
Succeeded by	Nikki Kaye
Minister of Ethnic Affairs
In office 8 December 2010 – 13 December 2011
Prime Minister	John Key
Preceded by	Pansy Wong
Succeeded by	Judith Collins
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for National Party List
In office 2008–2017
Personal details
Born	(1958-11-01) 1 November 1958 (age 65) Ruatoria, New Zealand
Political party	National Party
Spouse	Wira Gardiner ​ (died 2022)​
Children	2
Relatives	Selwyn Parata (brother) Arnold Reedy (grandfather) Tame Parata (great-great-grandfather)
Residence	Wellington
Alma mater	University of Waikato
Occupation	Public servant, politician

Patricia Hekia Parata (born 1 November 1958) is a former New Zealand public servant, diplomat, and politician.

After a career as a senior public servant, Parata was a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, representing the National Party, from 2008 until 2017. She served as the Minister of Education in the Fifth National Government.