Māori Party founder Dame Tariana Turia laid to rest at Whangaehu marae

By Pokere Paewai of RNZ

One of the great champions of te ao Māori Dame Tariana Turia has been laid to rest at her marae at Whangaehu near Whanganui.

Turia, of Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa, Whanganui, Ngā Rauru and Tūwharetoa, died on Friday, aged 80. Thousands of people including many iwi leaders and politicians have attended her tangi over the past few days.

She was laid to rest on Tuesday beside her late husband George on the ancestral lands of her hapū Ngāti Rangiwhakaturia near the Whangaehu River.

Dame Tariana Turia being carried from Whangaehu Marae to the nearby urupā where she was laid to rest. Photo / Pokere Paewai

Turia was remembered as a fighter, a principled politician, a tireless advocate for whānau and by her people of Whanganui simply as Nanny Tari.

Throughout the tangihanga rain and clouds were a constant but on the final day, the sun shone.

Local leader and a former staff member for Turia, Elijah Pue said Māori have a responsibility and obligation to continue her work.

On the final day of the tangihanga the sun was shining. Photo / Pokere Paewai

Members of the crowd during the tangihanga. Photo / Whakaata Māori/Māori+

“Actually it’s not about the legacy she leaves but it’s about the legacy her mokopuna will continue, so that is her ōhākī (parting wish) to all of us.

“Not to find a replacement for who’s the next Tariana Turia, who’s the next MP for Te Tai Hauāuru, her legacy is something that must live on and must continue within all of us.”

The marae and community of Whangaehu have been humbled by the love shared for their kuia, Pue said.

“E noho mokemoke ana te iwi, te awa, tātau. But the challenge before us isn’t to mourn or grieve, or be sad, the challenge before us is to understand what it is we might do to ensure that her legacy continues to live on in every tamariki, every mokopuna of Aotearoa.”

The Government and Labour lined up to pay their respects to Dame Tariana Turia who died on Friday.

Ngāti Porou leader Sir Selwyn Parata was part of the last group of manuhiri on Monday morning, he said she was a woman before and after her time.

“She was a wahine toa, wahine toa in everything that she did, she’ll be really missed, she’ll be really missed.”

Whānau was at the forefront of everything she did, Parata said.

“She was a very family-oriented person and she took that with her wherever she went, the kaupapa that she was involved with. She was the mother of Whānau Ora, she was the mother of the Māori Party.”