17 January 2017

He kāpia kua katohia nā te Atua, mō āna hua whakapīrata whetū i te rangi

Māori Television mourns the passing of Kingi Ihaka

Māori Television mourns the loss of Kingi Ihaka, kaumātua from Te Aupōuri, and former broadcaster and cultural advisor who passed away surrounded by his whānau in Auckland this morning.

Chief Executive Paora Maxwell says Kingi’s contribution to broadcasting was considerable, spanning more than thirty years, including six years at Māori Television as a Subtitler, a Commissioner and Kaihautū Tikanga (Cultural Advisor) and a kaumātua on the Kaunihera Kaumātua.

“Kingi was one of the original team members of the documentary archival television series Waka Huia. As a reporter and presenter he took us all on a journey around the motu bringing stories from native speakers of the language to our homes. Those programmes have now created an amazing archive for future generations,” says Mr Maxwell.

“Kingi grew up speaking Māori in his northern kāinga (home) of Te Kao. He was a staunch supporter of Māori Television and its establishment and we were fortunate to have someone with his calibre of expertise in te reo and tikanga Māori (Māori language and culture).”

Kingi also served as a Detective with the New Zealand Police and a soldier with the New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment.

“We will all miss Kingi particularly his mātauranga Māori and his great sense of humour.

We send our aroha and support to his whānau at this sad time,” says Mr. Maxwell.

Ko koe tēnā e te rangatira, haere okioki atu. Kia tae koe ki Te Reinga i mua tō wehenga ki Hawaiki Nui, Hawaiki Roa, Hawaiki Pāmamao.

ENDS

© Scoop Media