Address at the Tangi of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu
Tūrangawaewae Marae, Ngāruawahia
Dame Te Atairangikaahu was the Māori Queen from 1931 until her death in August 2006, making her the longest-reigning of any Māori monarch. In the New Year Honours in 1970, she became the first Māori woman appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire ‘for outstanding services to the Māori people’. In 1987, she also became the first person appointed to the Order of New Zealand. She was buried in an unmarked grave on Taupiri Mountain, along with her tūpuna.
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E te whānau pani, āku mihi aroha kia koutou,
Koutou o Waikato Tainui, tēnā koutou katoa.
E ngā iwi o te motu, ngā karangatanga maha, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.
To the bereaved family, to Waikato Tainui, our aroha and sympathy are with you at this time.
We know of Te Arikinui’s great struggle, particularly these last few months. We know of Te Arikinui’s determination to be here for the great celebration of the fortieth anniversary of her late father’s passing, and her own coronation. We know that only a few short weeks ago, Te Arikinui’s seventy-fifth birthday was celebrated here. To be present for those events, while so ill, took great courage.
But courage was characteristic of Te Arikinui’s life. Born in the depths of the Great Depression in 1931 in Huntly, educated in the very different environment of Diocesan School for Girls, as a relatively young woman Te Arikinui was chosen to lead the Kīngitanga and to fill the big shoes left by her father, King Korokī. As a child of the Waikato I remember that transition.
Over the past 40 years, Te Arikinui has been a source of continuity, a link to the past, but also the creator of a new future. Wherever there was opportunity for development for Māoridom, Dame Te Ata was to be found: with the Māori Women’s Welfare League, with the Kōhanga Reo and the kura kaupapa, with the kapa haka, backing the sports teams, supporting the growth of Māori business.
Dame Te Ata’s influence was felt throughout the land. Here at home in Waikato Tainui, she stood with her people as they moved to conclude the first major Treaty settlement with the Crown. That took courage—to go where no iwi had gone before; to set the benchmarks against which others would settle; to forge settlements which were durable. But it happened first here, with this remarkable leader’s support.
Te Arikinui knew the importance of reconciliation. She knew too of the role her office could play in bringing us together. Māori and Pākehā beat a path to her door. She was a force for unity in our country, and we are the stronger for it.
For New Zealand, Te Arikinui performed outstanding representational duties here at home, welcoming guests from far away, including royalty, heads of state and governments and many other dignitaries. And she travelled widely to represent us. She forged strong friendships throughout the Pacific, and the tears of the Pacific nations flow here this week too.
Dame Te Ata brought us together in life, as she now brings us together at her death.
We all stand here knowing that one who has always been there for all of us will no longer be there: not at poukai, not at the annual conference of the Māori Women’s Welfare League next month, not at her koroneihana anniversary in June, not at the annual celebration of Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana’s birth in January, not at the innumerable cultural festivals, sports events and business awards.
Her presence will be greatly missed for her smile, her warmth, her dignity and her wisdom.
Te Arikinui, you are about to make your last great journey down the river of your forebears, past every bend where the taniwha lies, to the sacred mountain of Taupiri. There you will lie with those of your whānau who have gone before. You go with our love, our respect and our admiration.
Our nation is the beneficiary of your work. May the leaders who follow you adopt your mantle and share the vision you have had for your people and our country.
Haere, haere, haere,
No reira, rau rangatira,
Tēnā koutou katoa.