Final service today for Taitokerau 'totara' Ricky Houghton

Far North community and housing advocate Ricky Houghton will be laid to rest today. Photo / File

People from around the motu (country) will gather today to say their final goodbyes to Far North rangatira (leader) Ricky Houghton.

The revered community and housing advocate passed away on Monday at home in Massey, Auckland, surrounded by his whānau after a long battle with illness.

News of the 62-year-old's passing sent shockwaves across the region, particularly in the Far North where his housing service, He Korowai Trust, was located.

Tributes honouring Houghton and his legacy have been shared across social media throughout the week, with an overwhelming sense the nation had lost "one of the greats".

Hone Harawira, former MP and Tai Tokerau leader, said of his friend's passing, that it was hard to comprehend the loss.

"He was a great man. He was a genuine free thinker - and when I say 'free thinker', the man's mind was phenomenal. He could think steps beyond a policy before the policy was even written."

Houghton's final service will be held today at 10am at Te Paatu Marae, Pāmāpuria followed by a church service at 11am at Pāmāpuria's Saint Stephen's Church.

He will then be laid to rest at the Tarakaka Urupa/Saint Stephen's Church Cemetery.

For those unable to attend the service, a Zoom link will be shared on the Haven Falls Poutama Tangihanga Funeral Home Facebook page.