James Te Wharehuia Milroy (24 July 1937 â 7 May 2019) was a New Zealand academic and expert in the MÃÂori language. He was of NgÃÂi Tà «hoe descent. Together with Tëmoti KÃÂretu and Pou Temara, Milroy was a lecturer at Te Panekiretanga o te Reo (the Institute of Excellence in the MÃÂori Language), which the three professors founded in 2004.
Born on 24 July 1937, Milroy was the son of Kararaina Takurua and Frederick Milroy, and a grandson of the Tà «hoe chief Takurua Tamarau. He was raised in Ruatoki and attended Rotorua Boys' High School. During the early 1990s, Milroy became a listed member of the Waitangi Tribunal. He worked and lectured at the University of Waikato in the MÃÂori Department, alongside Tëmoti KÃÂretu.
In the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours, Milroy was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services. In 2005, he was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the University of Waikato, and in 2009, he was a recipient of the MÃÂori Creative New Zealand Te Waka Toi award. Milroy was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to MÃÂori language, in the 2012 New Year Honours. He collaborated with KÃÂretu on the book ', the first book published entirely in te reo MÃÂori.
Milroy died on 7 May 2019, at the age of 81. He was predeceased by his wife, Marion Rongomaianiwaniwa Milroy (née Fabling), in 2010. She was a descendant of the Te Arawa and NgÃÂti Kahungunu tribes and a female speaker for the Te Panekiretanga MÃÂori Language Institute. Milroy was buried beside his wife at Kauae Cemetery in NgongotahÃÂ.