Poroporoaki

Hon Tariana Turia and Hon Dr Pita Sharples
Maori Party Co-Leaders
30 March 2012

The Venerable Dr Hone Kaa B.A., M.A.(hons), D.Min. (EDS)
Ka tanuku! Ka tanuku!
Ka tanuku koa te tihi ki Hikurangi, ka tanuku!
Ka waipuke! Ka waipuke!
Ko Waiapu te waipuke roimata, puta noa atu ki te wahapu ki Rangitukia, ki Ohinewaiapu!
Ngati Porou! Ngati Rakaipaka! Kua pani koutou!
Kei te tangi hotuhotu te motu ki a koutou ko to koutou rangatira!
Aue! te mamae!

The Māori Party has expressed their heartfelt grief at the passing of Dr Hone Kaa, a ‘living legend of our times’.

“Aotearoa has lost a fierce advocate; a champion for our children; and a veteran activist for the wellbeing of our whānau” said Tariana Turia, co-leader of the Māori Party.

“Dr Kaa has been closely associated with initiatives that sought to protect our tamariki and our whānau” said Mrs Turia. “We remember his significant contribution as chairperson of Te Whare Ruruhau o Meri; his leadership of Every Child Counts, and as Chair of Te Kahui Mana Ririki, an organisation to promote the wellbeing of Māori children”.

“As a man of the cloth, he has been a mentor to many” said Dr Sharples, co-leader of the Maori Party. “Archdeacon Kaa has played a vital role in overseeing the two Auckland pastorates. He was a senior Anglican priest, a kaumātua and a senior lecturer at Te Rau Kahikatea Theological College, St Johns’.

“But his legacy also moved beyond the pulpit to the big screen. Hone worked in Māori Programmes TVNZ, he was Māori Director at Aotearoa Radio, and he was the visionary behind Te Tepu, a cutting edge current affairs programme on Māori Television.

“Hone always encouraged us to live up to the legacy left by those before us” said Dr Sharples. “He championed protest, and his church gave shelter to those seeking justice. His recent series for Māori Television, the Prophets, was typical of his style – recording the leadership of prophets such as TW Ratana, Te Whiti and Rua Kenana while at the same time encouraging us to think deeply about the nature of Māori responses to Christianity”.

“ Our thoughts are with the whānau of Rangitukia – the hapū and iwi of Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Kahungunu – the tamariki, mokopuna, whānau Kaa, and indeed the congregations and collectives that will today be mourning such a distinguished leader of our time" said Mrs Turia.

"We hear that Ngati Porou were gathered together, following the third reading of the Ngati Porou legislation, when they heard the news that he had passed away; no doubt a fitting stage for his ohaaki to the people".

“The nation has lost a man of great faith; a courageous leader; a far-sighted thinker, and a greatly loved koroua for his people".

"He had a laugh that could light up a room, he was a beautiful orator and his life was an example of how we could be - he could never let an injustice go unchallenged. His enduring challenge to us all was that we needed to do so much better by our children".

“No reira e te rangatira, anei matou e tangi nei e mihi nei ki a koe. Haere atu ra, hoki atu ki a ratou ma e whanga mai ana ki a koe. Takoto mai, takoto mai, takoto mai."

ENDS

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