"The blowers come through and next minute all these papers came flying from the back seat all the way to the front seat and out the car, all the way through the car wash."
George Haimona delivered the whānau eulogy. Photo / Stephen Parker
She had forgotten her work papers were in the back and after a moment's surprise, said, "oh well".
"We never got out to get the papers though, they were gone. I don't know how she dealt with that afterwards but those were the little things she used to do. She was hilarious, she was really hilarious."
He said the whānau knew little about her work achievements because she barely talked about them.
Haimona said when Grant completed her bucket list after becoming sick, she created "some beautiful memories" including a family disco, pamper day, reunions and going out for a paddle with her waka ama team one last time.
He said every detail at the tangi was planned by Grant before she died and he'd "never seen anybody so organised".
"I can't see, at the moment, a light out of all this darkness, because I never ever imagined a world without my aunty, but we are pretty tight, we are pretty strong my whānau. Kia kaha."
Tangi for Ngaroma Grant at Tāheke marae. Photo / Stephen Parker
Her casket covered in messages and drawings from her mokopuna was carried off the marae to Te Puke o Ōnaki Urupā.
Te Tatau o Te Arawa chairman Taru White told the Rotorua Daily Post Grant was a "wonderful" deputy and balanced his character "which can be quite forthright".
"She was very, very humble. She could reason very, very well through tense situations."
Ngaroma Grant was carried from Tāheke marae to Te Puke o Ōnaki Urupā nearby. Photo / Stephen Parker
He described her as "wise and precise" mediator.
"She was one of those people with a beautiful soul, a beautiful wairua, that always came through in anything she did."
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said her "long and close association with Mala" started when Chadwick was a midwife.
She called her a "dear friend, leader, health entrepreneur and wahine toa".
Tangi for Ngaroma Grant at Tāheke marae. Photo / Stephen Parker
"I have always very much valued Mala's wise counsel – she gave calm, reflective views, always seeking practical ways of working together and always about the benefits for all. Mala also had a wicked giggle and a beautiful smile that helped in any negotiation."
She said Grant shared her "next vision" for the district with Chadwick before she died.
Haka to farewell for Ngaroma Grant from Tāheke marae. Photo / Stephen Parker
Lakes District Health Board member Dr Johan Morreau worked closely with Grant as she led Māori health at Rotorua Hospital then oversaw Korowai Aroha Health Centre and later became chief executive of Te Arawa Whānau Ora.
He said Grant's people skills were one of her best assets.
"She was somebody who made people feel good" and used that to build the "culture" of her teams.
He said she shared her hopes for Whānau Ora with him before her death, but it was "a huge loss".
Tangi for Ngaroma Grant (Mala) at Tāheke marae. Photo / Stephen Parker
