Hon Te Ururoa Flavell

Te Minita Whakawhanaketanga Māori

Minister for Māori Development

7 June 2016

Farewell to Sir Graham Latimer

Kei te kahutātara o Te Tai Tokerau, whakangaro atu rā koe. Ko koe tēnei kua riro ki te Pūtahinui o Rehua. Waiho mai mātou ko ngā whakareanga o muri mai ō moemoeā, ō moehewa e whakatutuki, e whakatinana. Haere atu rā koe ki tō hoa rangatira, ki te kāhui o ngā ariki e whanga mai ana ki a koe.

Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell joins Te Taitokerau and Aotearoa in grieving the loss of Sir Graham Latimer, long serving chair of the New Zealand Māori Council who died today at his home in Pamapuria.

“Sir Graham made wide reaching contributions to the country in his roles with the Waitangi Tribunal, Crown Forestry Rental Trust, Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission and Te Papa, among others, and this should not be underestimated,” Mr Flavell says.

“His passing is not only a great loss to Māori but to the country as a whole. He played a powerful and valuable part in shaping our history, particularly in his time with the Māori Council,” he says.

“People across the political spectrum sought his advice and insights,” he says.

“When I was a university student he came to speak to the students and I remember how positively it moved us,” he says.

Mr Flavell will attend the tangi for Sir Graham Latimer at Te Paatu Marae in Pamapuria later this week.

Ko Ngāti Kahu, tokoiti, manawanui.

ends

© Scoop Media