Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki is mourning former chair, Hemi (James) Brown who died suddenly on Wednesday.
Brown was instrumental in securing the future of the east Auckland-based iwi as its negotiator, settling its Treaty of Waitangi claim in 2018, and also as a relentless fighter for iwi recognition within local and central government.
Iwi chief executive Jada MacFie is still coming to terms with talking about Brown in the past tense. She had been with Brown on Tuesday in Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki office.
“We were ribbing each other a lot, because we share the office space in the building together, and he rolls up in his truck. And then he has two or three tea bags in his cup of tea. And then I mocked him for not eating vegetables, and he checked on my baby. He’s a businessman but he is also an uncle.
“So from a loss perspective, it’s just starting to kick in but it doesn’t feel real yet. And we’re all at the marae right now setting up marquees and figuring out where the tents are going to go to shuck the mussels and oysters that he normally brings on his truck.”
He is remembered as someone who was never scared of fighting on matters of principle that would bring a benefit to his iwi and to Māori and is credited as an instigator of the modern mana whenua relationships structures with local government and the Crown, having insisted on a judicial review of Manukau City Council, MacFie said.
“That set the tone for the future relationships, the way that iwi and councils work now is all triggered by the review he demanded way back. We definitely wouldn’t be where we are as an iwi without him and his work.”
Born and raised in the Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki rohe around Maraetai and its marae at Umupuia, Brown also shared whakapapa to neighbouring iwi, Ngāti Pāoa, Hauraki whānui, and east coast iwi Ngāi Tai ki Tōrere, Te Aitanga a Mate and Ngāti Porou.
MacFie said Brown dedicated his life to serving Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki when he returned from Australia 30 years ago.
He was focused on creating economic and business opportunities for the iwi and its people on its whenua, helping secure property developments including housing, buying back the land under Macleans College and setting up aquaculture and agriculture enterprises.
“The mussel farms, the oyster farms, these are all James’ visions. The herd of cattle I now run on Motutapu, our prime Angus, these are all great ideas, great James’ ideas. Sometimes it may have felt like a pie in the sky, and you’d go ‘what?’ and then you’d start working and think about it and go, ‘Oh, yeah, it needs refining - it always needed refining’. But in his mind, nothing was unattainable for us to have a go at which I really enjoyed.”
Hamilton West MP, and former Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki CEO, Tama Potaka paid tribute to the ‘erstwhile rangatira’ in parliament.
“He led the tribe from woah to go, a larger-than-life personality and someone who was all about competition in the ferry market on the Waitematā and te Pataka kai o Tīkapa Moana, also known as the Hauraki Gulf.”
As well as serving his iwi, Brown was also a member of the Independent Māori Statutory Board that advances Māori interests across Tāmaki Makaurau and ensures Auckland Council acts within the provisions of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
He is survived by his wife, Debbie and daughters Jess and Georgia.
James Brown will be taken to his beloved Umupuia Marae on Saturday morning with his nehu to be held on Monday.
