Poroporoaki: Tini Whetu Marama Tirikatene-Sullivan ONZ
te-pati-maori
Fri Jul 22 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Poroporoaki: Tini Whetu Marama Tirikatene-Sullivan ONZ
Friday, 22 July 2011, 5:46 pm
Press Release: The Maori Party
Hon Tariana Turia and Hon Dr Pita Sharples
Maori Party Co-Leaders
Friday 22 July 2011
Te Tiritiri o te Moana! Tuohu mai i te tangi!
Rakahuri! Waimakariri! E rere tangi haere!
Rangiora! Takoto mokemoke mai!
Ngai Tahu, Te Waipounamu whanui, e tangi ki to tatou kuia, whaea, kua kapohia atu e te ringa o Mate.
E te Tini Whetu Marama, haere ki o matua, ki o tipuna, ki a ratou ma kei te rangi!
Ma wai ra e pikau nga take taumaha i kawea e koe i nga tau e hia nei?
Ma wai e tiro whanui pena i a koe, ki nga painga mo te iwi?
E Whetu, ma matou e tangi mokemoke ana i tenei wa. Ma matou o take e hapai.
No reira, e Kui, haere, haere, haere!
The Maori Party farewells Dr the Honourable Tini Whetu Marama Tirikatene-Sullivan ONZ as a trail-blazing politician with strong principles and a compassionate heart for the people.
“We are devastated to hear of Whetu’s sudden death. Her passing feels like the end of an era,” said co-leaders Dr Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia.
“Whetu has made an extra-ordinary contribution to our nation which was recognised in 1993 through her being awarded the Order of New Zealand, this country’s highest honour” said Mrs Turia. “The Order of New Zealand pays tribute to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to the Crown and its people. Whetu has certainly done that in a vast range of areas”.
"Whetu was a pioneer for wahine Maori in politics" said Mrs Turia. "She was the first Maori woman Cabinet Minister in Norman Kirk’s Labour Government in 1972”.
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“She was a trailblazer in so many fields. Before she entered Parliament she was instrumental in the establishment of the first group of social workers to dedicate themselves to addressing family violence.
“Whetu was a committed member of Ratana Church; a staunch supporter of the Maori Women’s Welfare League; and a passionate community advocate – long before and after her distinguished parliamentary career”.
“She struck a distinctive presence wherever she went. I well remember her incredible sense of fashion design – those long flowing gowns with the gorgeous koru prints always made her stand out in the crowd”.
“She paved the way for women to combine a full working life with motherhood; from as early in 1970, returning to the House two weeks after the baby's birth and looking after her child in her office”.
“The loss of the Hon Whetu Tirakatene-Sullivan is particularly poignant in the same week as we have lost Dame Katerina Mataira” said Dr Pita Sharples.
“Whetu was a staunch advocate for te reo Maori, calling for Maori courses while she was at university, and as an MP, she received a series of petitions to Parliament calling for Maori to be made an official language. She also supported early developments in Maori broadcasting".
“Whetu has earnt a unique place in our history as the longest-serving woman in New Zealand’s Parliament, representing an electorate that covered three quarters of the country including outlying islands” During her parliamentary career, she became a Cabinet Minister, as Minister of Tourism, Associate Minister of Social Welfare, and Minister for the Environment.
“Whetu was first elected in the 1967 by-election, following the death of her father Sir Eruera Tirikatene, and served for ten terms in Parliament, from 1967 to 1996.
“As the daughter of a long-serving MP, Whetu entered politics early, becoming the founding President of the NZ Maori Students Federation and becoming Vice-President of Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association in 1960.
During her career, Whetu has served iwi well, through her advocacy and passion for the people, leading to such advances as the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal, Marae and Papakainga Housing, Maori broadcasting, the protection of Maori fishing grounds, the tangata whenua vote, and many other areas of our lives"
Our heartfelt sympathies to her husband, Denis, her children, May-ana and Tiri; her mokopuna, Hunter and Gigi-Bell; and her whanau, hapu and iwi - not to mention the people of Te Tai Tonga, who to this day remember her with great affection".
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