Obituaries — Sir Graham Latimer

I seek leave to move a motion without notice on the passing of Sir Graham Latimer.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There is none.

I move, That this House mark the passing of Sir Graham Latimer. Reo Māori i te tuatahi, kua hinga he kauri nui o Te Tai Tokerau kua pōuri katoa mātou i raro i tērā rākau. Ko tāku, ko tātou pea, me kī, haere, haere, haere atu rā, okioki pai e te rangatira.

[In the Māori language in the first instance, a huge kauri of Northland has fallen and we are all saddened beneath that tree. I, and, perhaps, we, say, depart, travel on, go forth and rest well, esteemed one.]

Sir Graham Latimer strode tall as a New Zealander—certainly as a Māori New Zealander, but also as a New Zealander. He was a husband, a father, a grandfather, a railway worker, a soldier, a farmer, and, some might think, a somewhat unlikely leader, who rose through the ranks of local leadership and emerged on the national scene.

He had the distinction of holding responsibilities in the New Zealand Māori Council, an organisation of some force, for many years, both as the district chair in Tai Tokerau and then as the president of the New Zealand Māori Council, which was a position that he held for 40 years, until 2012. He was also a National Party candidate in his time, in what we all know to be the very challenging electorate of Te Tai Tokerau. He was unsuccessful in that regard, but he went on to be an office holder in the National Party, where he was both provocative and uniting, which I think is a theme of the work that he undertook on the wider national scene.

He held many first positions in a number of very iconic and influential bodies in our country. He was one of the first three members to be appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal. He was knighted in 1980, and then he went on to take a case against the Government of the time and he won a landmark decision. It was known as the lands case, where the Court of Appeal instructed that on the basis of that success the then Government could not proceed with its State-owned enterprises policy unless, and until, it found a way of protecting assets that might be returned under a Treaty settlement process.

The reason I know that much detail is that I was one of the advisers to the Lange-Palmer Government of that era, and I often sat across the table from Sir Graham Latimer and other notables of that time: Sir Robert Māhuta—tēnā koe, Nanaia—Matiu Rata, and Sir Tīpene O’Regan. These were all leaders from different parts of the country who advanced the cause of making the Treaty of Waitangi a core part of our considerations in our country. He was a wily old fox, I have to say, and I enjoyed the battle of wits, which he won most of the time.

That case led on to a number of developments that we now consider very much part and parcel of the infrastructure of our country. It led on to a substantial Treaty settlement process. It led to the establishment of the Crown Forestry Rental Trust. It led to the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission. These were all economic assets that he was very much involved with, but his efforts were not constrained to economic assets. He was equally interested in the viability and sustainability of Te Reo Māori and was engaged in the cases that sought broadcasting outcomes on radio and television—again somewhat unlikely, because I do not think I ever heard him speak Te Reo Māori, and even in English, he was given to a laconic turn of phrase.

He was extremely pragmatic and opportunistic, ensuring that there was always some gain out of the effort put in. And those efforts, cumulatively, have resulted in a very solid platform for progress and advancement for our country.

He was very fortunate, I think, to be married to a wonderful woman, Lady Emily, who sadly passed away last year, who was the personification of dignity, loyalty, and graciousness and was by his side all through those years. He was very engaged in the Anglican Church and had a very strong faith.

I think his greatest legacy to us, given his much avowed public political leanings, is that he nevertheless straddled the entire political spectrum, because he was interested in results and outcomes. He said at one time—and I am not quoting him accurately—“Yes, what we are doing, taking these court cases and winning, is providing a basis for ongoing conversation, and where is the harm in that? Māori and Pākehā should be able to speak to each other and find better ways of development for our country.”

So he leaves a very strong legacy. He leaves—[Interruption]—do I have to shut up? Oh, sorry. He leaves a very strong legacy in all that he has done, and we see that in these iconic institutions that make up our landscape now. We can see them in the production of the assets that Māori are now in control of. We see it in the language and the broadcasting instruments that we take for granted. I am sure we join with his family not just in mourning his passing—because he lived to 90 years of age, with a huge string of achievements—but also celebrating his life. We should thank him for the contribution that he has made to the ongoing conversation of who we are as a bicultural, multicultural, multilingual, modern New Zealand nation. Tēnā koutou, haere atu rā e pā, ngā mihi nui ki a koutou, kia ora!

[Greetings to you collectively, farewell sir, and huge acknowledgments and thanks to all!]

Ka iri ake rā a Matariki ki Te Pō, ki Taihoronukurangi. Ka tū au ki runga i ngā maunga whakahī, ngā maunga kekete, e ara mai ai te kekete, i tau mai ko te kekete! Ka tangi atu ki te hau mātao, ki te hau o tonga, te hau i ngaukino ai e aituā i te hunga kaumātua, i te hunga kuia. kāti ake! Ki a koe e Tā Kereama, ka tanuku te maunga o Maunga Taniwha ki runga i Te Marae o Te Pātū, ka horo tonu ko ngā wai o kamo ki runga i tō waka tūpāpaku i tēnei wā.

I ngā tau kua pahure ake nei, i piki ake tātou katoa o te motu whānui ki runga i ō pokowhiwhi. I kite atu mātou o Aotearoa i ngā taumata o te moana, i ngā moemoeā ō rātou mā, i ngā moe hewa o ngā mātua, o ngā tūpuna! Ko koe tēnā e āhei mātou te kite atu i ngā taumata o te moana, ngā taumata i whakataukitia ai e ō tātou mātua, e ō tātou tupuna! Nō reira, kua tau ngā waewae ō tō mokopuna ki runga i te nuku roa o Papatūānuku. I kite atu ahau i ōu tapuwae nui, i ō tapuwae roa, ki runga i te mata o te whenua e hora nei. Ko te nui hoki o ngā mahi i oti i a koe kua wahaina mai e Te Minita i mua i a au.

Ka noho ngātahi Te Whare nei ki te tangi atu ki tōku apakura kua ngaro atu ki te pō. Ko tāku e kī nei ki a ia, e kara, haere atu rā koe ki tō tuarā, ki tō hoa rangatira a Lady Emily. Okioki mai nā koe ki roto i te poho o rātou i mahi ngātahi ki a koe ki roto i ngā tau kua pahure ake nei. Ko Matiu Rata tēnā, ko Tā Hēmi Hēnare tēnā, ko Tā Te Kotahi Mahuta tērā. Haere atu rā koe e Tā Kereama, ko te tangi atu Te Tai Tokerau ki a koe i tēnei wā, e moe, e moe, okioki!

[Pleiades hangs suspended above the void and horizon. I stand astride prestigious and illustrious mountains, from where the venerable arise and land. I mourn the cold, southerly, evil wind gnawing away; a death amongst the elderly ones has occurred. Enough! To you, Sir Graham, the mountain of Mount Taniwha collapses upon the Marae of Pātū, and tears from the eye continue to cascade upon your hearse at this moment.

In past years, all of us of the country at large climbed upon your shoulders. We of New Zealand saw the tops of the seas, the aspirations of others, and the dreams of our parents and ancestors. You enabled us to see ocean tops and summits that our parents and ancestors uttered aphorisms about. Therefore, the feet of your grandchild have alighted upon the broad expanse of Mother Earth. I saw your large, long footprints upon the face of the land spread out before me. What a lot of work you have accomplished that the Minister brought and placed before me.

This House sits together to grieve, my dirge, lost to the void! I say to him, go friend, go to your wife, Lady Emily, your support. Rest there in the bosom of those who worked together with you in years past, namely Matiu Rata, Sir Hēmi Hēnare, and Sir Te Kotahi Mahuta. Farewell, Sir Graham, Northland mourns you at this time; sleep, slumber and rest!]

Ā, e Te Whare tēnā koe. Kua hinga he kauri nui o Te Wao-Nui-a-Tāne, kua hinga he rangatira mīharo rawa atu o Ngāti Kahu. Nō reira, haere ana ngā mihi aroha o Te Rōpū Kākāriki ki te whānau pani me ōna iwi, e tangi ana i tēnei wā pōuri, tēnā tātou katoa.

[So acknowledgments to you, the House. A great kauri of the Great Forest of Tāne and a most amazing leader of Ngāti Kahu has fallen. Therefore, loving condolences from the Green Party go out to the bereaved family and its people grieving at this period of sadness, greetings to us all.]

I rise on behalf of the Green Party to offer its sincere condolences to the whānau of Sir Graham Latimer. It is with huge sadness that we learned yesterday of the passing of Sir Graham, one of the greatest and most influential leaders of Māori in the 20th century. Sir Graham’s contribution to Māoridom, and indeed to all Aotearoa, will continue to reverberate across generations.

As a pillar of the New Zealand Māori Council for nearly 40 years, his commitment to upholding and advancing Māori rights has had a pivotal and an undeniable impact on the Māori renaissance. Sir Graham’s ability to put the interests of his people above all else was clearly evident. Although affiliated with the National Party, he did work very strongly across party lines, notably with the Hon Matiu Rata, to push for greater legal and political recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi. His dedication was such that he famously mortgaged his Northland farm to finance the many court battles that he led.

We have, in large part, Sir Graham to thank for the recognition of Māori rights to radio and television frequencies to promote Te Reo Māori. As a result of this historic campaign, we now have iwi radio stations across the country, a Māori television service, and Te Reo content across mainstream media.

Although I am sure that we would not have agreed on everything, the Green Party shares Sir Graham’s vision of an Aotearoa where all peoples—Māori, Pākehā, and our diverse multicultural communities—live in peace and in harmony with one another; an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi and upholds tangata whenua rights in practice, not just in words.

From serving in World War II to being one of the foremost leaders of Ngāti Kahu and the North, to his leading work in advancing kaupapa Māori, Sir Graham’s legacy is lasting and of huge significance.

I would also like to note the contribution of the late Lady Emily, the first woman to serve on the Māori Council. The Green Party sends its aroha and its heartfelt condolences to Sir Graham’s whānau and to Ngāti Kahu on their loss. Our thoughts are with you in this time of great sadness. Nō reira e te rangatira, takoto mai, takoto mai, takoto mai rā ki te whenua ō ō mātua tūpuna, tēnā tātou e Te Whare.

[Therefore, esteemed one, lie down, lie down, and lie there upon the land of your parents and ancestors, and greetings to us, the House.]

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker, tēnā anō hoki tātou. E tū ake tēnei hei māngai mō Te Rōpū Aotearoa Tuatahi ki te tautoko i ngā mihi i mihingia e aku tuākana me te tuahine hoki ki tō tātou rangatira i roto i Te Tai Tokerau, arā, ko Tā Kereama Latimer tēnā.

[Thank you, Mr Speaker, and greetings to us as well. I stand as the spokesperson for the New Zealand First Party to endorse the condolences accorded by my elder brothers and sister, also, to our esteemed leader in Northland, namely, Sir Graham Latimer.]

I make no apologies for making this analogy, because I recall the very comments that Sir Graham made when welcoming Her Majesty to New Zealand about her son doing his job so that she could have a grandson. So I am comparing this motion this afternoon to that of yesterday, where we acknowledged, on behalf of the nation, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attaining the age of 90 years. Today we stand united on behalf of everyone here to mourn the loss of someone who reached the age of 90 years and who passed just the other day; I am referring to Sir Graham Stanley Latimer.

Although I do so with a heavy heart, I reflect on someone with whom I shared some wonderful and challenging times in the North. Sir Graham was born into a humble family among the gumfields of the far north and, as a consequence, learnt early of the challenges he and his family, and, indeed, the wider community of his tribe, Ngāti Kahu, had to face in order to survive the harsh realities of the time. Not one to dwell on the cards that life had dealt him, he went on to join the army to do his duty, ending up by being shipped off to Japan to assist with the clean-up of that country. This obviously had an impact on him in his later life.

Together with his wife, Lady Emily, he went farming in the Kaipara. Before long, and at the will of Ngāti Whātua, the local tribe, he ensconced himself in serving his community, leading him to carry their concerns on to the national stage, where he found himself touching shoulders with some of Maōridom’s leading figures of the time.

I had the pleasure of sitting on the Tai Tokerau Māori Trust Board and the Tai Tokerau District Māori Council with him, and also the Waitangi Day organising committee, where I was able to witness a man who could take the people with him. I have no doubt that because of his influence, my own progression within the Public Service was due in no small way to that influence.

If there is probably one regret he had, given his role in the early history of the Treaty of Waitangi Tribunal, it would be not being able to see the Ngāti Kahu claims settled. The personal sacrifices he was prepared to make, all for the advancement of his fellow man, will be a legacy that he leaves for us to aspire to.

It would be remiss of me, knowing the man as well as I do, not to make mention of his wife, Lady Emily. For without her support over the years, much of the legacy I speak of would not be possible. Nō reira e kara, e Tā Kereama, kua tae kē te wā kia tīmata mai tō hīkoiranga ki te wāhi e kīhia nei, “te kāpunipunitanga o ngā wairua”, hoki atu! Kātahi anō he kupu mōu: “Okioki, okioki. Tātai ngā whetu ki Te Rangi, mau tonu, mau tonu, tātai ngā tāngata ki te whenua, ngaro noa, ngaro noa.”

[Therefore, friend, Sir Graham, the time has arrived for you to begin your journey to the place referred to as “the inevitable destiny of mortals”, depart! At last a saying has been crafted for you: “Rest and rest. Stars that adorn heaven are there for ever, people that populate the land disappear into oblivion and are lost for ever.”]

I want to conclude this short stand by quoting from the good book, from II Timothy 4:7: Kua whawhaitia e ahau te whawhai pai, kua omatia toku omanga, kua rite i ahau te whakapono. I have fought the good fight, I have run the long race, and I have kept the faith. Kia ora anō tatou.

Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. E tāpirihia taku kōrero ki ērā o ngā mihi kua mihia i tēnei wā. Haere atu rā e te hau tipua o Ngāti Kahu ki te paepae o Matariki, o Rehua. Haere atu rā, moe mai rā, i te poho o Ranginui e tū iho nei. E haehaetia te ngākau o te whenua, e te mamae!

[I add my condolences alongside those accorded at this point in time. Journey forth, the famed deity of Ngāti Kahu, to the threshold of Matariki and Rehua. Travel on and sleep there in the bosom of the Sky Father standing before us. The heart of the country is lacerated by the pain!]

The Māori Party joins with the Whare today in lamenting the passing of Sir Graham Latimer, who helped to bring the Treaty of Waitangi back into our nation’s consciousness. He was an outstanding leader, who demonstrated the value of Māori working across the political spectrum. Although he was a staunch National Party supporter and member, he worked with Labour MP Matiu Rata to gain greater recognition of the Treaty. When the late Matiu Rata was the Minister for Māori Affairs, he established the Waitangi Tribunal in 1975, and Sir Graham Latimer was one of its first commissioners.

Sir Graham Latimer was at the helm of the New Zealand Māori Council for 40 years, during a pivotal time of the Māori renaissance. He also, famously, as we have heard, mortgaged his farm to rally against the sale of assets. This generation is indebted to him for his foresight and his courage. Without the work and sacrifices made by people like Sir Graham, we would not have the gains we have made in key areas like fisheries, land, forestry, Te Reo Māori, and broadcasting. His legacy continues today, including the current debate about the allocation of water rights.

Such was the commitment of his whānau to building a mature nation that Tā Graham personally funded a full-page advertisement in all major newspapers throughout Aotearoa on Waitangi Day in 1988. His open letter included a copy of the Treaty and challenged the nation to consider its impact on their lives. Our greatest gift to the whānau would be to see his wishes more fully realised.

Although we mourn a public figure, we know he will be deeply missed by his children, his mokopuna, his whānau, and his friends, and we extend our condolences to those grieving for his loss.

You could surmise from the things that have been spoken here that Sir Graham may have been a Māori Party supporter. I know that, in fact, he would have been a supporter of making Te Reo Māori a core subject in our curriculum, and also he would recognise the oaths and declarations bill that is coming to the House tonight, in recognising the Treaty when you take an oath of office. Nō reira, tāpirihia ngā mihi kua mihia, tangihia te ngākau, tangihia ngā roimata, heke iho te hūpē kia whārikihia te papa e te mamae, tēnā koutou.

[Therefore, append the tributes accorded, allow the sorrow to be expressed, the tears to be shed, and the mucus to descend upon the land covered by the pain; my appreciation to you collectively.]

I want to join with others in expressing sympathy and condolences to the family of the late Sir Graham Latimer and in recording my own personal sympathy at his loss. I first met Sir Graham around 1979 or 1980, when he was appointed as deputy chair of the Alcoholic Liquor Advisory Council, of which I was secretary at the time. We did not know very much about him other than his association with the Māori Council, which, conveniently, had offices just over the road from ours, and we felt that this might have been a convenient device to take some travel costs off the Māori Council’s budget and shift it to ours. But we quickly came to realise that he was a man who not only was wily and shrewd in the best sense of those words but also had a genuine sense of compassion and a clear vision about what he wanted for his people and what he wanted for New Zealand.

He was also a remarkably pragmatic man. I recall one occasion when a colleague, who happened to be Welsh, and I accompanied Sir Graham to the Rātana Pā, and we were given a very formal welcome, as befitted his status. I was not all that familiar with Māori protocol at that stage, but it became clear to me that something a little unusual was occurring because the pōwhiri had become a long series of chants—quite rhythmic chants. I leaned across to Sir Graham and said “What’s going on?”, and he said: “Oh, they are reciting their lineage back to the great canoe.” Each speech took several minutes to deliver, and then there was a silence and he leaned across to me and said “We’re going to have to do the same.”, which came as a considerable shock and a surprise. Then, just before our turn, he said: “It’s OK; I’ll handle it.” So he got up, he spoke for no more than 30 seconds in Māori, and sat down to uproarious laughter. I was somewhat concerned and I said to him: “What did you say?”. He said “I said: ‘He’s Welsh and the other two of us have come from the great canoe Endeavour.’ ”, which, in a way, showed how Sir Graham bridged all worlds. I think he had a remarkable, down-to-earth, New Zealand sense of humour, but he was, through and through, a Māori New Zealander as well.

His achievements during the 1980s and the fact that he held the office of chair of the Māori Council for 40 years is a tribute to his durability, his pragmatism, and his common sense, and this country is considerably the worse for his passing. So I join with others in lamenting the death of Sir Graham Latimer, but I take a certain pride in feeling that I can say that I knew him, and I take a terrific pride in what he was able to achieve on behalf of his people and our country generally to make it a better place for all of us.

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. I would like to add the ACT Party’s condolences to Sir Graham’s whānau, in admiration of his long and significant influence on our nation’s development. Hokia te rā.

[Revisit the day.]

Motion agreed to.