The Black Tracker farewelled

Laly Paraone Haddon, who died last week aged 74, was a Ngatiwai rangatira and conservationist with a rugby record which placed him among Northland's elite players.

He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his whanau, including his wife Sharley and their children Olivia and Ben. Mr Haddon had three grandchildren.

Mr Haddon was a descendant of the Ngatiwai chief Te Kiri and lived in Pakiri all his life.

He was a member of the Ngatiwai Trust Board and its chairman for 16 years from the mid-1990s until last year.

He was also the senior kaumatua and rangatira of the hapu of Manuhiri and Te Kiri Marae at Leigh where his funeral service was held on Saturday.

Present Ngatiwai Trust Board chairman Haydn Edmonds said that Mr Haddon had made his mark on Ngatiwai history.

"He influenced our whanau, hapu and iwi and will soon join the great and noble ones of the tribe who have departed this life. We bid you farewell Te Rangatira," Mr Edmonds said in a tribute.

Mr Haddon received a Queen's Service Medal in 2009 for his three decades of service to conservation.

He was an early supporter of New Zealand's first marine reserve at Leigh, served on the Auckland Conservation Board and was chairman and a member of the Hauraki Gulf Forum.

Department of Conservation Auckland conservator Sean Goddard said Mr Haddon was a "mighty totara" who achieved a great deal for Pakiri, the Rodney district, and islands in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.

"Laly was instrumental in helping form relationships between DoC and local tangata whenua over the management of Hauturu, Little Barrier Island," Mr Goddard said.

During his rugby career, Mr Haddon, a loose forward and lock, played 75 games for North Auckland between 1963-73, was an All Black trialist in 1966 and represented the New Zealand Maori from 1964-73.

His nickname on the rugby field was "Black Tracker" and he carried that to the end, with his death notice inserted in the Northern Advocate for "Laly Paraone (Tracker) Haddon QSM." Star North Auckland and All Black halfback Sid Going attributes the nickname to North Auckland coach Ted Griffin. "I reckon Laly got that name because he used to cover and cut down the wingers. Ted Griffin used to say 'There goes that Black Tracker'," Going is quoted in the Malcolm Mulholland book Beneath the Maori Moon.