TE ARAWA LEADER DIES

Prominent Te Arawa leader Arapeta Tahana has died suddenly.
The shock death has devastated the 64-year-old's family.
He died from a suspected heart attack yesterday afternoon while exercising at Gold's Gym.
 Son-in-law Tim Worrall said the family were devastated.
"In many ways Arapeta was just hitting the next stage of his life in a wiser leadership role," he said.
"He was ... spending more time with his family and enjoying life and taking quieter roles within the community."
Mr Worrall said his father-in-law had suffered a heart attack previously and was due to have tests.
Mr Tahana was Te Arawa Maori Trust Board chairman for eight years and spearheaded Rotorua's $10 million lakes settlement. He was also a former chief executive of the then Waiariki Polytechnic.
Ngati Pikiao kaumatua and childhood friend Toby Curtis remembers a man who gave everything for his people.
"He was very capable, very articulate and a superb scholar. He was one of the few who achieved first-class honours at Auckland University.
He could have gone on to do great things in the academic world, but preferred to work with his people."
Mr Curtis said Mr Tahana was like a brother to him.
"We did quite a few things together. He carried his Ngati Pikiao heritage with pride. Our values of being Maori have always been at the forefront of being Te Arawa.
 "I think [his death] comes at a time when our nation is witnessing a change. We can ill afford to lose so many great people.
"We need to ensure the political ability of our young people coming through has some stability.
"This is what he used to instil in our people. He is truly a great loss for Te Arawa."
Mr Tahana was chief of the Waiariki Polytechnic for seven years before his controversial departure in 1997.
He threatened court action when his contract was not renewed. After a six-year dispute, the two parties reached an out-of-court settlement.
In October 2003 he was given a formal apology from Waiariki at the institute's Tangatarua Marae in front of more than 200 people.
 Kaumatua Ken Kennedy of the Waiariki Institute of Technology, as it is now known, said Mr Tahana's death was another loss for Te Arawa so soon after Sir Howard Morrison's death.
"Arapeta will be hugely missed by Te Arawa. His contribution in the provision of tertiary education [was] not only to Te Arawa, but to the whole of the Waiariki region, which included Mataatua, Te Arawa and Ngati Raukawa of Tainui.
"He knew that education was most important to Maori. He had a passion for wanting to see Maori succeed and achieve in tertiary education."

 Mr Kennedy said Mr Tahana played a key role in the building of a marae on the campus.

 Mr Tahana had dedicated himself to supporting the advancement of his iwi, Mr Kennedy said.
"He fully supported Te Arawa Rangatakapu Wananga Programme, a learning programme for young potential Te Arawa leaders, to drive the business and the economic wellbeing of Te Arawa.
"He will be hugely missed."
Waiariki's head of Maori Development Foundation and Languages, John Merito, described Mr Tahana as a "pioneer and a true visionary".
 
"He was the type of man who would get initiatives off the ground and established, running smoothly, then he would move on to the next project."
Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa chairman Eru George said Mr Tahana was instrumental in the return of the 13 lakes to Te Arawa. The Treaty package included a Crown apology and annuity and redress of $10 million.
 Mr Tahana resigned as chairman of Te Arawa Maori Trust Board in December 2003, just after the board accepted the Crown's lakes settlement offer. He was also a justice of the peace working for the Disputes Tribunal and was chairman of Poutiri Trust, a Maori health organisation.
Mr George said Mr Tahana's body would be taken back to Tapuaeharuru Marae, Rotoiti, this morning.
Mr Tahana is survived by his wife, Sue, his children and grandchildren.