Poroporoaki ki Ta Rose Henare QSO

From the Maori Party                                                    2 July 2008

“E te ruahine o te Tai Tokerau, te mörehu kuia o tera rau tau, takoto mai ra, moe mai ra, okioki mai ra.

“Ngati Hine, koutou ko o koutou karanga maha o roto o Ngapuhi nui tonu, o Ngati Whatua, tae atu ki Ngati Porou, ki Ngati Kahungunu, ka tangi te motu ki to koutou rangatira kua tïraha mai ra, otirä ki a koutou kua noho pani nei.

“The Maori Party joins with her whänau and her many iwi in mourning the passing of Lady Rose Henare, of Ngati Hine,” said Co-leaders Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples.

“Will we see her like again, this icon of a generation of matriarchs, whose commanding presence was felt around the nation?” asked Tariana Turia. 

“To me, Lady Henare exemplifies what it is to be tangata whenua,” she said.

“Within her own community and on her own turangawaewae, Rose Henare’s mana and authority could not be questioned. She was a leader who lived out the proverb ‘Ka tika a muri, ka tika a mua’, a power behind the scenes, a woman whose legacy will be felt for generations to come.” 

“Lady Rose was born in the backblocks of the Bay of Islands, educated at local primary schools, sent to boarding school to broaden her horizons, and married according to the traditional customs of taumau,” said Te Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira.

“She was a tremendous worker and highly capable farmer, a devoted wife and mother to her own children and several whängai, a lifelong supporter of church, community and charity work, who lived most of her 97 years within a few kilometres of where she was born,” he said.

Mrs Turia said Lady Rose’s loyal support to her famous husband left no question as to her own status. “She raised six children with Sir James, plus five whängai. She was awarded a QSO for community service, to school committees, marae committees, sports committees, and all those organisations that keep our community hearts beating,” she said.

“Although she lived in the Far North, her influence was felt around the motu,” said Dr Sharples. “She was a trustee of the Kohanga Reo National Trust, and her son Erima is the Chair of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori, the Maori Language Commission.

 “She will now return to Otiria, to lie on the marae where she was married 75 years ago. E Kui, e hoki ki to ükaipö, ki to whenua, ki o tipuna i te Wahi Ngaro.

“Haere, haere, haere atu ra!”

ends

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