KEY POINTS:
The paternal family of Tina Marshall-McMenamin, who spirited her body away from a Lower Hutt funeral home to ancestral land on the East Coast, say she is now resting "with dignity".
The 25-year-old died of a drug overdose on Monday. Her funeral was to have been held today
in Carterton.
Ms Marshall-McMenamin - remembered by her grandmother Hera McMenamin as a "very cute girl who had been brought up well and had a cute way of looking at you" - was buried in a family urupa (burial ground) in the small East Cape township of Rangitukia, about 20km north of Ruatoria, on Wednesday morning.
Her father, Eugene McMenamin, allegedly took her body from the Harbour City Funeral Parlour in Lower Hutt for a "final ride" but sparked a furore when he and relatives took it to their East Coast marae.
But speaking to the Herald from his home at Whakawhitira, near Ruatoria, Ms Marshall-McMenamin's grandfather Charlie McMenamin strongly rebutted the allegation that the whanau had "stolen" the body, although the Herald understands the undertaker agreed to the release of the body on condition it be returned to her home in Carterton.
The McMenamin family also challenged claims that Ms Ms Marshall-McMenamin had completed a will that stated what her funeral wishes were and said the idea that she was not brought up as a Maori was "completely irrelevant".
Mr McMenamin admitted his granddaughter had not visited her ancestral home but said it was still appropriate that she lie there.
"This is her land, this was about respect for her and we wanted to give her at least a little bit of dignity," said Mr McMenamin.
"It was what her father wanted and he was happy to do that."
He said he could accept that some people found the action shocking, "but for us it's not a shocking decision, not at all".
"It's a decision which is normal for us and it's a common practice in Maori protocol.
"We also sought legal advice and the answer we received encouraged us to continue with what we intended to do," Mr McMenamin said.
He said his son Eugene, who was not available for comment, had tried to negotiate some form of compromise with the Marshall family over the funeral arrangements. His whanau preferred that her body not be cremated as the Marshalls had planned.
"We probably would have compromised and bent if they were willing to listen but they wouldn't," said Mr McMenamin.
Waynne McMenamin, who is the brother of Eugene, told the Herald the family would adopt a wait-and-see approach but were confused by reports they had seen on television that the Marshalls were on their way to the East Coast to get the body.
The McMenamins were aware an exhumation order was a real possibility but they were willing to exhaust all legal options available to them.
Charlie McMenamin said the whanau were still willing to talk to the other half of the bereaved family and a mediator had been sought to help resolve the matter.
But as of last night no contact between the families had been made.
The Marshalls have obtained an exhumation order, but are unsure if their dead family member will ever be removed from her grave and cremated as she wished.
"If there was a time when we could have sat down and talked about what to do with Tina before she was taken away [it would have been good]," said family spokesman Phillip Marshall, uncle of the deceased.
