Favourite memories of him range from his playing PlayStation with them and teaching them to drive, to making his famous chocolate pudding.
"He's irreplaceable. He always knew what to say and gave us the right advice," eldest daughter Te Amorangi Jones said.
She now has two children of her own.
"He was so proud to be a koro."
His skills in the kitchen were also fondly remembered.
"He was a great baker, his chocolate pudding, anything with sugar in it and his porridge," son Manawamoeterangi, 13, said.
His children Mahinaarangi, 16 and Tamawhaiiterangi, 15, said they they were always reminded of their father's legacy and his passion for education as they progressed through school, with many of their own teachers telling them the impact their father made on them.
"It makes me proud to be the daughter of Hawea Vercoe," Moerangi, 17, said.
"He inspired me to be the head girl [at Rotorua Girls' High School] and stand up for what is right. When I was 12 he encouraged me to write to Environment Bay of Plenty to have 'Eke Taone' (CityRide) put on our buses."
It seems letter writing was also passed on to Manawamoeterangi, who recently wrote to Prime Minister John Key, asking him which university degree and steps he took to become the country's leader, with aspirations to do the same.
Best friend and Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Lance O'Sullivan, of Kaitaia, said they used to spend hours talking into the night about their shared goal of being part of Maori prospering and helping to build a great country with their work. They met through mutual friends and Dr O'Sullivan used to work in Rotorua.
"When he died it was such a blow not just for myself and our friendship but our aspirations," he said.
"I've achieved a lot in my career but my energy was only 75 per cent of what Hawea had. If he was here he would have achieved a lot more than what I have and has inspired me to go further.
"I miss our conversations and just being with someone that I could say, 'Bro, I love you'. We had a close friendship and spent so many times together with his family and mine," Dr O'Sullivan said.
"I knew my bro and he would have been really proud of his children, when he died his legacy lives on through them."
This year Dr O'Sullivan started a scholarship in his friend's memory.
"He engaged so much of himself, provided so much leadership, mentored youth. He would take a young person who wasn't confident and inject in them that belief that they were someone special.
"So I wanted to do something for my bro to ensure that he will never be forgotten."