Kemp was laid to rest at an urupā alongside her ancestors. Photo / Julia Gabel
At a small country marae on the outskirts of Taihape, a visionary, a powerhouse for Māori causes and a compassionate leader who dedicated much of her time to helping young people was taken home to be mourned by her community.
On Tuesday, hundreds of people dressed in black gathered at Ōpaea Marae to mourn Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp, who died last week aged 50 after a battle with kidney disease.
Kemp’s whānau paid tribute to a woman who was “full of love, leadership and light”, a pillar of their family who was “love in action”.
“She was bold, beautiful and she was ours. We followed her example, as a whānau, and she set the standard for us... this generation and the generations to come.”
Her whānau said their hearts were broken but they were so proud of her.
“Proud of the woman she became, proud of the legacy she leaves behind, proud that she came from us, proud that this strong line of wahine who have always and will always lead with love, forever.”
Rawiri Waititi, the co-leader of her party, said Kemp was a peaceful, soft but strong leader for her people.
“It is not until people pass away that you actually know the impact that one has on many lives. Six Te Pāti Māori MPs – like a storm in a teacup – but the Takutai Moana in that teacup was the calm. We will miss that calm,” Waititi said.
“Tarsh, sister, I bid you goodnight, until we meet again.”
Soon after the news of Kemp’s passing rippled through the country, her Taihape and wider community rallied to ensure they could host the influx of grieving whānau, friends, colleagues and community members they knew were coming. In the end, more than a thousand people visited Ōpaea Marae over four days.
More than 100 people worked in kitchens across three marae preparing food for manuhiri (guests). Roads were closed, local farmers gave their paddocks for parking and a cohort of Māori wardens helped the event run smoothly. Manuhiri were hosted at Ōpaea as well as other local marae.
Jessica Smith, Kemp’s whanaunga from Ngāti Tamakōpiri, said the marae called in help from the local community and the NZ Defence Force for high-powered generators for lighting. Koha (donated) kai was brought in from other iwi and whānau.
“The day she was arriving, at 4 o’clock, we had no lights and the electrical infrastructure here is really poor. We’re in a rural community and there are lots of things that we have to do to keep things moving.
“It’s actually been amazing. We’ve not done anything like this on this scale for a very long time. You’ve got whānau who know that, as a marae we’re small, [and they] have come from all over the country to awhi and help.”
The team behind the scenes had got things down to a “fine art”.
“We’ve been co-ordinating between the three marae getting kai done. We know how long it takes to pack the hot boxes, transport, unload so that we can time activities on the marae to make sure that everyone’s getting fed, the food is warm. The more awhi we get, the more the whānau can just focus on breathing.”
Kemp held many titles before she knocked incumbent Peeni Henare (Labour) from the Tāmaki Makaurau seat by 42 votes in the 2023 election and entered Parliament.
In 2021, Kemp was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to street dance and youth. Before becoming an MP, she was chief executive of Manurewa Marae and a leader during the pandemic. She also spent two decades working in the health sector.
She was a figurehead in New Zealand’s hip-hop community, particularly in South Auckland, where she encouraged youth to fulfil their dreams through dance. In her maiden speech at Parliament, Kemp said she had grown so close to the young dancers that many called her aunty or mum.
She also worked with the University of Auckland to develop a Rangatahi Mental Health Youth Hub in Manurewa to address the high suicide rates among young Māori. She was a sister, a mother and a grandmother.
The funeral service pulled Parliamentarians from the Beehive to the rural community of Ōpaea Marae, which sits along an isolated road flanked by a winding river, towering deciduous trees and farmland.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said he and several of his MPs had come to the marae to pay their respects to “one of our colleagues and friends in Parliament who has passed away far too soon”.
“For some of us, just as we were starting to get to know her and seeing the contribution she was going to make in Parliament.”
Labour’s Willie Jackson said Kemp was an inspiration, particularly in South Auckland, in her dedication to helping young people through dance. Kemp was someone who would stick up for the underdog.
“It’s quite sad that Parliament never saw the best of Tarsh because she was sick for much of the time she was there.
“She was quite an inspiration for a lot of us in South Auckland. Her legacy is one of always supporting the underdog, particularly young people. Her passion was young people and she inspired so many of them.”
Jordan Winiata, also Kemp’s whanaunga who knew her for much of her life, said she was a humble leader – but when she did speak you could tell she had put a lot of thought into what she said.
Kemp had strong connections to Ōpaea Marae, from her younger years through to her adult life, he said.
“She’s always had this passion for rangatahi. She saw the oppression among rangatahi and she saw dance and performing arts and even kapa haka and music as tools of Māori liberation because that was something she saw our rangatahi gravitate to.”
Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.