Thuten Kesang was New Zealand's first Tibetan refugee.
Thuten Kesang was New Zealand's first Tibetan refugee.
New Zealand's first Tibetan refugee and ardent Tibet advocate, Thuten Kesang, has died at the age of 76.
The Auckland Tibetan Association said in a statement that Kesang died on Sunday, May 23.
Charles Chan, 79, who had known Kesang for 25 years and attended the same temple - theDorje Chang Institute - said Kesang suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm two nights earlier.
"We were offering puja [Buddhist prayers] for Thuten over the weekend, and his passing does come as a shock," Chan said.
"The Tibetan community here is small in number, maybe just around 50, and many consider Thuten to be like the father of the community. His passing is a very great loss."
But during the Chinese occupation, Kesang suddenly found himself an orphan and refugee in India.
He graduated from Dr Graham's Homes, a Christian boarding school in Kalimpong, and after finishing his apprenticeship in printing, Kesang emigrated to New Zealand arriving here on January 4, 1967.
When he arrived, he lived in Mt Albert but in later years moved to Beach Haven on Auckland's North Shore, where he ran his own printmaking business.
He and his wife, Gwen, had two daughters and three grandchildren.
From 1967 until 2015, he served as head of the Tibetan Community in New Zealand, and then as head of the Auckland Tibetan Association until 2019.
In 1986, Kesang founded the Friends of Tibet, served as president and was the political voice of Tibet in New Zealand.
Last year, he facilitated the Tibetan language and culture weekend classes in Auckland.
Thuten had also previously served as Honorary Secretary of the Liaison Office of Tibet NZ and also representative of the Dalai Lama for the Asia-Pacific region.
"Words fail to describe his selfless dedication and contribution to the Tibetan cause," the association's statement said.
"Thuten lived a life full of compassion and purpose. He was a proud and happy Tibetan-New Zealander always ready to sing his favourite old Bollywood songs.
"We pray for his soul to rest in peace and consciousness to be reborn as a Tibetan under the realm of Avalokitesvara."