Speech
Memorial Service for Dame Te Atairangikaahu
Te Whare Atu Nei Tenakoe, Te Papa Tongarewa tenakoe, E nga manuhiri tena koutou tena koutou. E nga rangatira ma tena koutou.
E Nga mate nga aitua ka tangihia e tatou i tenei wa. Haere. Haere. Haere.
The dead, those being mourned, we lament them now. Farewell. Farewell. Farewell.
I greet and pay respects alongside all who have gathered here for this special memorial service for Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu.
On the 15 August, our country's well-beloved Dame Te Ata passed away. Like many New Zealanders up and down the country, I join in mourning the loss of one of our community's great leaders. Dame Te Ata's tangihana was an eloquent expression of the grief the nation feels right now. I went to Turangawaewae a few days ago and joined the many thousands, some say more than one hundred thousand, who came to pay their last respects.
Although Dame Te Ata has now been laid to rest, our memories of her have not. Many tears have been shed- enough to fill a river the size of the mighty Waikato which bore the waka on her final journey to Taupiri. And there will be more tears.
Dame Te Ata's last year was a momentous one. Her birthday celebrations and the anniversary of her coronation brought into focus the respect which she commanded and the wonderful leadership she gave us all - the moreso because it arose from humility.
In New Zealand we are used to few enough universally loved and admired people. I bring to mind Sir Edmund Hillary and Justice Peter Mahon. Dame Te Ata had a wonderful ability to unite. She was a woman of great strength and, at the same time, warmth and aroha. She was not only a role model for Maori, but for other New Zealanders as well.
Dame Te Ata, I am thinking of you respectfully and warmly, of your whanau too, of Tainui, and the many many people who grieve for you, and who will spend much time together reminiscing about your remarkable life.
I would like to add tribute to Dame Te Ata, as a guiding light for our country. I would also like to acknowledge Tainui for opening their arms to all New Zealanders who were drawn to Turangawaewae, and for allowing the nation to watch and take part as Te Arikinui was laid to rest. It was a handsome gesture and one appreciated widely.
Dame Te Ata's son Tuheitia is now the new Maori King. One can only wonder at the mixed emotions, which must fill his heart.
I would like to take the opportunity to offer encouragement for Tuheitia as he embarks on the journey of leading Tainui and the Maori world. May he have the strength and wisdom that were the hallmarks of his mother and his grandfather Koroki's reign.
Te Ata, you will not be forgotten. Tuheitia may God guide and protect you.
E kore koutou e ngaro. Ma te Atua koutou e manaaki, e tiaki.