Poroporoaki ki Te Kapunga Matemoana Dewes

Kua horonuku a Hikurangi, pā noa ki te take o Te Whetū Matarau!

Kua tītaha Whangaokena, toka tū moana o te Tai Rāwhiti!

Kua waipuke te riu o Waiapu i ngā roimata o Ngāti Porou, o te ao Māori, ki te rangatira, tohunga rongonui ki Te Kapunga Dewes, kua tiraha mai i te ata nei. E Koro, takoto mai i te poho o tō whānau, i to marae o Hinerupe, takoto mai, takoto mai. Nāu anō te kōrero i whakataukī: Ko te pūtake o te Māoritanga, ko te reo Māori. He kōhara nāu ki te reo me ōna āhuatanga katoa; ka whakatauira koe i te whānuitanga, te teiteitanga me te hōhonutanga o te kōrero. Nō reira te wairua kaikaha i whakatō ki roto i tō whānau, i ō tauira, i tō iwi, kia tipu, kia puāwai te reo, kia hau tōna kakara, taiāwhio noa i te motu. Nāu ngā kaupapa i hora, nāu ngā take i kōkiri, kia oreore te whenua, kia tū ngā iwi katoa ki te whakarauora i te reo rangatira o ngā mātua tīpuna. Tae rawa mai ki tēnei wā, ka kitea ngā hua, ka huri mātou ki te tangi ki a koe e Koro, he aroha pēnā i tō aroha ki ō tīpuna, ki a mātou, ā, ki ngā uri whakatipu. Nō reira haere ki a rātou mā i te pō, haere i te ara wairua, karere kore ki muri. Nāu te tūmanako i whakahua, ka waiho mā mātou e whakatūtuki.

The Minister of Māori Affairs, Dr Pita Sharples, paid tribute today to the outstanding scholarship, the formidable intellect and the extraordinary oratory of Te Kapunga Matemoana (Koro) Dewes, of Ngāti Porou, who passed away at home in Te Araroa this morning.

“Koro was a tohunga, whose command of oral history and literature and prowess in debate was awe-inspiring,” said Dr Sharples.

“Māori language, and the many issues surrounding it, were Koro’s lifelong passion, as a teacher, lecturer, academic and intellectual, iwi leader and mentor,” he said.

“He was an iconoclast, whose arguments drew on his deep knowledge of whakapapa and tradition, his fearless intellectual rigour, mastery of oral arts, and provocative sense of humour. “

Koro was a partisan rather than a diplomat, who inspired commitment and dedication to Māori language issues among a generation of younger leaders, including his children and grandchildren, who have helped to transform the outlook for te reo Māori. In 2004, Koro’s achievements were recognised by the award of an Honorary Doctorate of Literature by Victoria University of Wellington, where he had taught for many years.

“As we reflect on the progress we have made in revitalising Māori language, we must acknowledge the seminal contribution made by Koro Dewes, who established the philosophical and political foundation for so much of what has followed. Koro has been an inspiration for language activists from every iwi, and for indigenous peoples around the world,” said Dr Sharples.

ENDS

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