Ka tanuku e! Ka tanuku e! Ka tanuku te tihi o Taranaki! Ka tanuku! E kapo ki te whetū, e kapo ki te marama! E kapo ki te ata o taku raukura ka riro Ki te kāpunipunitanga o nunui mā, o roroa mā i te waro hunanga o te pō Kei te toa mārohirohi, kei te toa whakapūmau i te reo! Pūkatokato ana te tau o te ate! Tīparea te tihi o te maunga tītōhea ki te rau o te kawakawa Ko roimata, ko mamae, hei kai māku, mā te iwi Ka mahue mokemoke, ka mahue tītōhea nei e Auē, taukuri e!

Dr Huirangi Eruera Waikerepuru, of Taranaki and Ngāpuhi descent, an esteemed kaumātua and a pioneer in the trying battle to have the Māori language and Māori traditions of Aotearoa recognised, sadly passed away last night surrounded by his whānau.

A lifetime devoted to the preservation of te reo Māori and the fight for the recognition of te reo Māori as an official language of this country; Dr. Waikerepuru was heavily involved in the Waitangi Tribunal claim that led to te reo Māori becoming an official language in 1987.

Dr. Waikerepuru also helped establish Te Reo o Taranaki 30 years ago and has been a key figure in Māori language education in Taranaki. He received an honorary doctorate from The University of Waikato in 1995 and in the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM), for services to Māori. He was a life member of the Tertiary Education Union and was a driving force behind the establishment of both the Iwi Radio Network and Māori Television.

Living out his final days peacefully in Pouakai, nestled at the southern base of Taranaki Maunga surrounded by his loving whānau, Dr. Waikerepuru will be forever remembered and honoured for his incredible legacy in the revitalisation and protection of Te Reo Māori.

“It is with a heavy heart that we remember a pioneer for the revitalisation and recognition of Te Reo Māori. Instrumental in the founding of Māori Television, we mourn the passing of Dr. Waikerepuru and remember his many great achievements for Aotearoa, for Māoridom, for our culture and our language,” said Shane Taurima, Māori Television Tāhuhu Rangapū.

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