Sir Toby Curtis was farewelled in a fashion fit for a king for all his work for Te Arawa, and the revival and fostering of te reo Māori to wai and mana.
Today more than 700 people packed the marae as their kaumatua rested under the mahau of Rakeiao.
Many speakers selected by the bereaved family shared their close intimate memories of Sir Toby and most spoke about his tenacity in trying to make all things equal for Māori, from tamariki in the westernised education system to Māori presence in the film and media rat race.
His nephew, distinguished Hollywood actor Cliff Curtis, told Te Ao Māori News how it was his uncle who always challenged him to consider te ao Māori as a means for all things he tried to accomplish.
“I looked up to my uncle Toby because he was a genius, a real leader of his time, of our time.
“He is the backbone of our family, tribe, people of this country. He helped me with everything, my acting career, my family my learning of all things Māori and not just me but he did it for everyone,” Curtis said.
‘Made every day count’
Over the past four days people from around the motu including politicians, entertainers, the Māori king and historians, had flocked to Tapuwaekura marae on the shore of Rotoiti to share their condolences and speak highly of Sir Toby.
They said the 83-year piki kotuku Sir Toby had lived an incredible life and made every day count for te iwi Māori.
Son Piripi Curtis spoke about his father’s mana, ihi and wehi to create change for the betterment of Māori.
“The reach of colonisation affects us today,” he said as he then challenged all to, like his father, create change for Māori in their own area and space.
Former activist, MP and Māori Climate Commissioner Donna said Sir Toby had “fought and struggled to bring back our mana Māori motuhake".
Niece Frances Teinakore-Curtis, asked what she would remember most about her uncle, was not his intelligence, nor his determination for iwi wealth nor even his love for Hato Petera, but instead his ability to hog the remote control to the TV.
“That was him always saying ‘kao nāku tēra, that’s mine, leave it alone, go get your own,” she recalled.
The great man’s life
Sir Toby was a teacher, a staunch te reo Māori advocate, the founder of many Māori broadcasting initiatives, and retired chair of the Te Arawa Lakes Trust.
Born at Lake Rotoehu on November 13, 1939, Nopera Tamihana Curtis was the youngest of the 15 children of James and Taipapaki Curtis.
His parents wanted him to do well at school but with that came active discouragement of te reo Māori. That boosted his willingness later to fight for te reo Māori to be a main language in all schools.
In 2000, he was made deputy vice-chancellor of the Auckland University of Technology.
Sir Toby was also heavily involved in Māori broadcasting, helping form several iwi radio stations, Māori Television, and serving as the chair of Te Māngai Pāho.
He completed a PhD in 2005, and was knighted in 2014.
For 16 years, Sir Toby was chair of the Te Arawa Lakes Trust, enacting the Te Arawa treaty settlements and seeing the trust's portfolio grow from $33 million to more than $100m.
Sir Toby died on Wednesday at home in Rotoiti due to health issues with his manawa. He will be sadly missed by his whanau, hapū, iwi, and iwi whānui. He will rest with his people at Putere Cemetery.