The Māori Party mourns the loss of Dr Apirana Mahuika

E te rangatira o Porou iwi, haere atu rā! Haere ki te huinga o te kahurangi ki Hawaiki nui, Hawaiki roa, Hawaiki pāmamao. Waiho mā ngā iwi koe hei mihi, hei tangi, hei tuku ki te kōpū o Papatūānuku. Ka auē te iwi Māori, ka auē te ao katoa.

“Te Tairāwhiti and te ao Māori has lost a great leader of our time,” says Māori Party Co-leader Hon Te Ururoa Flavell.

“Dr Api Mahuika exuded rangatiratanga. He was unrelenting in his promotion and protection of all Ngāti Porou taonga – from its fisheries, foreshore and whenua to Ngāti Porou reo and tikanga.”

He was at the vanguard of early Treaty claims and settlements including the Māori fisheries settlement, the landmark Wai 262 claim and the Ngāti Porou land claim.

During his long tenure as Chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou, the iwi authority increased its asset base, established social services such as Ngāti Porou Hauora and formed the first iwi education partnership “Whaia te Iti Kahurangi” with the Crown.

Like the Māori Party, Dr Mahuika was a strong supporter of Māori medium education. He penned many stories in te reo Māori and was a sought after translator.

“His oratory skills in te reo Māori and English are legendary. His ability to articulate his views and immense knowledge on the marae and in hui will be greatly missed. He was a scholar and a gentleman,” says Māori Party Co-leader Marama Fox.

He was educated at Te Aute College, the University of Auckland and the University of Sydney. He majored in anthropology, sociology and education with a Diploma in Theology and was an ordained Anglican clergyman. In 2004, Dr Mahuika was awarded an honourary doctorate from the University of Waikato for “his work in contributing to the development of positive race relations in Aotearoa-New Zealand”.

The Māori Party extends its aroha to Api’s whānau and te iwi o Ngāti Porou.

“He puna wai e utuhia, he wai kei aku kamo.
Te pua korau e ruia, e tipu i te waru.”

“Like the spring well are the tears from my eyes,
Like the nectar shaken free, in the summer breeze.”
(Nga Mōteatea 134: Hori Ngata)

Mr Flavell is returning from his first overseas trip as the Minister for Māori Development, to the United Nations Headquarters in New York, to attend Api’s tangi.

ENDS

© Scoop Media