Note: A previous issue with our livestream has now been resolved. It is available to watch here, or at the top of this article.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Labour leader Chris Hipkins, and several other government representatives attended the tangihanga of Dame Tariana Turia this afternoon.
They follow Te Iwi o te Hīkoi, who gathered at Whangaehu Marae this morning to honour the legacy of Kahurangi Tariana Turia, known fondly as Whaea Tari.
Green Party delegates were among yesterday afternoon’s manuhiri, while the Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, led manuhiri onto the marae in the morning.
Pōwhiri will be held 2pm today, before the nehu (burial) tomorrow at 11am.
The livestream will be available on MĀORI+, here on the Te Ao Māori News website, and broadcast live on Te Reo Channel (Freeview channel 10, Sky channel 82) from 1.55pm, though timing is subject to change.
LIVE UPDATES:
6:45pm
The poroporoaki is set to start at 7pm with a karakia, followed by performances from local kapa haka groups across the Whanganui area.
You can livestream the event at the top of this article.
The final step of the Kahu Whakatere prcocess will then take place after the poroporoaki tonight, when she will be closed up.
The piece will be placed over the top of her head and then folded into the kahu whakatere, completing the process.
Read more about the ancient tangihanga practice Dame Tariana Turia’s whānau is reviving here.
4:09pm: ‘Labour didn’t treat her well’
Read Daniel Perese’s full story here.
Dame Tariana’s ex-political party, Labour, joined in today’s second pōwhiri to pay their respects to the late politician.
Speaking to Te Ao Māori News, Willie Jackson, who joined parliment three years after Turia, said Labour had mistreated her.
“Labour didn’t treat her well and I was very clear, I wasn’t a supporter of Labour in those days, I absolutely supported her and Māori party.
“But parties change, you know, Labour changed, Te Pāti Māori changed, and so parties go through this, but we should learn the lessons of how to fight and when to fight from Tariana Turia.”
With Turia planned to be buried the same day as the Treaty Principles Bill submissions close, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins called it disappointing.
“It’s really disappointing that as we recognised her life’s contribution to New Zealand politics, we currently see a government that’s actually heading in the other direction.”
3:55pm - Tā Pita Sharples whaikōrero
Tā Pita Sharples, who co-led Te Pāti Māori with Kahurangi Tariana Turia, has delivered his whaikōrero.
2:31pm
2:10pm
Representing the government and opposition, Christopher Luxon, Chris Hipkins, Carmel Sepuloni, Nicola Willis, Tama Potaka and Willie Jackson.
1:55pm - Final pōwhiri
The final tranche of manuhiri are set to be welcomed onto Whangaehu Marae ahead of the nehu (burial) of Dame Tariana Turia tomorrow.
Among the guests today are National’s Christopher Luxon, Nicola Willis, Tama Potaka, Louise Upton and Mark Mitchell.
Former Prime Minister Sir Bill English will also be there.
Labour will be represented by leader Chris Hipkins and Willie Jackson, as well as kaumatua Ken Kennedy, while Shane Jones will appear to represent NZ First.
12:13pm - Hīkoi organisers gift banner
The banner which was front and centre of the hīkoi in November has been gifted over to Turia’s whānau.
Gifted by one of the hīkoi organisers, Te Rawhitiroa Bosch, after Ngāpuhi kaumatua, Hone Sadler, gave a speech.
It was seen earlier being out-front of the marae before being brought in during the pōwhiri this morning. It was then rolled up nicley during Eru-Kapa Kingi speech.
The banner said “Toitū Te Tiriti me Te Whakaputanga” with both the Tinorangatira flag and Te Wakaminenga o nga Hapu o Nu Tireni flag being represented on either side.
11:55am - Ngāti Kahungunu pays respects
Bayden Barber has spoken on behalf of Ngāti Kahungunu
11:33am - Swarbrick honours ‘love and justice’ of Tariana Turia’s leadership
Te Pāti Kākāriki / Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was among the manuhiri gathering to honour Dame Tariana Turia yesterday.
Asked to reflect on her legacy, Swarbrick told of how “love and justice weren’t just lofty political rhetoric, they were daily practice”.
“She knew who she was in politics because she knew who she was in life.”
She said Dame Tariana’s life, actions and policies were all interconnected, a lifestyle that she said resonates with members of her party.
“When you’re talking about the health of the Whanganui river, that’s not happening in the isolation of the whenua, or in isolation of the people.”
10:27am - A ‘courageous’ and ‘treasured’ woman
Whetu Moataane is remembering Dame Tariana Turia as a courageous and treasured woman this morning.
Te Ao Māori News spoke with the outgoing chair of Te Tōtarahoe o Paerangi earlier this morning.
“Tēnei wahine. He wahine māia, he māreikura, he wahine ka kī te mahi i ngā mahi. He wahine e kā ana ki te mahi o ngā mokopuna. Nō reira, he kahurangi. He kahurangi tēnei wahine.”
This woman. A courageous woman, a noblewoman, a woman who excels in her work. A woman deeply dedicated to the work of the grandchildren. Therefore, she is a treasure. This woman is a treasure.
10:05am - Eru Kapa-Kingi speaks
9:18 - Te Iwi ō te Hīkoi
Hīkoi organisers and supporters joined in with the pōwhiri kick-starting the third day of Dame Tariana Turia tangi, to pay their respects.
Those at the back were holding the same banner which was present at the front of last November’s hīkoi.
Eru Kapa-Kingi told RNZ they had placed a social media call for people to join them pay their respects.
“[We] put the tonu out there for anyone else who might be looking for an opportunity or an iwi to join to honour whaea Tariana as well as the kaupapa she carried.”
9:10am - ‘She would stand resolute’
Helen Leahy reflected on Tariana Turia’s legacy of whanau ora and reiterated that “Aunty Tari always said leadership resides within us all.”
Leahy is the author of Crossing the Floor: The Story of Tariana Turia and specialist advisor for Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu/Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency.
When asked to describe Turia, Leahy said she was an example of mana wahine in its fullest expression, she was fearless, principled, consistent, unwavering in her belief, strong and would also be uncompromising.
“Her qualities were that in the face of fear, she would stand resolute, she wouldn’t back down,” Leahy said.
“Everything she did was tupuna derived, it was a mokopuna solution, it was thinking about a future that our babies will inherit.”
Turia stood for what was tika, not for what was popular or what she was told to stand for.
“Her dream was that all of us would take whanau ora to the heart, all of us as whanau, all of us as hapū, as iwi, but also all of us in government, they they would invest deeply into something which would free whanau from the shackles of colonisation, it would free the state from feeling the sense of dependency, and it would allow whanau to stand in their own sunshine, to be liberated and to be able to do for themselves.”
8:40am: Manuhiri beginning to arrive
8:19am: Rā Tuatoru
Mōrena and welcome to our live updates for Rā Tuatoru.
It’s the second and final day for those around the motu to travel to Whangaehu Marae and pay respects to Kahurangi Tariana Turia, ahead of the nehu (burial) tomorrow.
Manuhiri today are expected to include representatives of te Iwi o te Hīkoi, as well as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
The livestream, brought to you by Whakaata Māori, is due to start at 8:55am.It is available to watch on MĀORI+, or on the Te Ao Māori News homepage.
