Obituaries

Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this

E te Kaiwhakahaere o te Whare nei, tēnā koe. E tuku mihi pōuri ki te Whare nei kua hinga atu tētahi o ngā tino kuia mōrehu o Te Tai Rāwhiti Ngāti Porou. Kua mate a Mate Huatahi Kaiwai, iwa tekau mā whā ōna tau. Nā, ko te wahine nei i kaha ki te manaaki i te rangatahi me te tautoko i tō tātou reo Māori. He kaiārahi a ia o Te Taura Whiri me ngā rōpū katoa e tautoko ana i te ora o te reo Māori, me tōna kura o Hukarere. E pā pōuri te motu nei me ngā Māori mō te ngaro o tēnei wahine, te tamāhine o te Hōnore Tā Apirana Ngāta.

[Greetings to you, Mr Speaker. It is with regret that I inform the House that a Ngāti Porou East Coast great surviving old lady has fallen. Mate Huatahi Kaiwai, who was 94 years old, has died. This woman was a strong supporter of youth and of our Māori language. She was patron of her school, Hukarere, and a figurehead of the Māori Language Commission and of all other organisations that supported the revival of the Māori language. The nation and Māoridom grieve for the loss of this woman, the daughter of Sir Apirana Ngata.]

It is with regret that I inform the House of the passing of one of the great Māori women leaders in this country. Mate Huatahi Kaiwai, who was 94 years old, has passed on. This woman was the strongest proponent for supporting youth, and an unstinting supporter of the Māori language. She was the patron of Hukarere College, of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, and of other Māori organisations that developed te reo Māori. We grieve for this great wahine, the daughter of the late Hon Sir Apirana Ngata.