Sir Peter Tapsell's death 'sad day for Te Arawa'

New Zealand's first Maori Speaker of the House, Rotorua's Sir Peter Tapsell, has died.

The 82-year-old died in his sleep at his Ruatoria farm on Thursday night.

Sir Peter entered Parliament as a Labour MP in 1981 and remained until 1996. He was born and lived in Rotorua for much of his life.

He held the internal affairs, arts, police and defence portfolios during his political career.

Sir Peter was the first Maori Speaker from 1993 to 1996 and was the first member of an opposition party to serve as a speaker.

He worked as an orthopaedic surgeon in Rotorua before becoming an MP.

Sir Peter had a lifetime of public service including several years as a councillor and deputy-mayor of Rotorua. He also served on a number of Maori land trusts around Rotorua.

A talented sportsman, Sir Peter was vice-captain of the 1954 Maori All Blacks.

His daughter, Shan Tapsell, said her father would be at Whakaue Marae in Maketu from midday tomorrow and his funeral service would be on Tuesday at 11am. He will be buried at Wharekahu Cemetery in Maketu.

Sir Peter and his late wife, Diane, who died in 2008, had two sons and two daughters.

Terry Morrison said last night it was a sad day for Te Arawa.

"He was a very dear friend. We had a very special relationship. I'm just so saddened."

Mr Morrison said it was thanks to Sir Peter that Ohinemutu in Rotorua had sealed roads as a special Act of Parliament was required.

"He advised me on how to get the roads down here in Ohinemutu sealed. He told me to get a petition and he took that petition to Parliament. The Ohinemutu Roads Bill is testament to Peter Tapsell. We had many meetings at his home with his family and ever since then I have been very, very close to him."

Former Labour MP for Rotorua Steve Chadwick described Sir Peter as debonair and she would always remember him for wearing a rose in his lapel.

"That was the sort of stamp he put on Parliament at the time. He believed in decorum and good behaviour."

Mrs Chadwick said Sir Peter worked as an orthopaedic surgeon at Rotorua Hospital when she came to the city as a midwife.

"It was extremely rare to have a Maori orthopaedic surgeon and we were extremely proud of him."

Given his success in medicine, many at the time questioned his decision to enter politics. "But he saw it as another opportunity."

Mrs Chadwick spoke to former Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia yesterday who had been at a tangi for Hone Kaa with Sir Peter this week.

"Parekura said Sir Peter was lively and enthusiastic about the party and politics."

Peter Tapsell in 1984 (second left) at a special combined commemoration service to mark the 120th anniversary of the famous battle at Gate Pa

Sir Peter was born in Rotorua and educated at Rotorua Boys' High School. He studied medicine at the University of Otago, graduating in 1952. He worked at several hospitals in New Zealand before pursuing further study in Britain.

In 1968 Sir Peter was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to medicine and Maori.

He was the Labour candidate for Rotorua in the 1975 and 1978 elections but did not enter Parliament until 1981, when he stood in the Eastern Maori electorate.

In the 1996 election, which saw a major swing against Labour, Sir Peter lost his seat to New Zealand First's Tuariki Delamere.

After his retirement, Sir Peter was involved in a number of organisations, becoming the patron of Monarchy New Zealand. Waikato University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1997.