Obituaries — Hon Dame Tariana Turia

Tēnā koe e te Pīka. I seek leave to move a motion without notice and with debate that this House expresses its deep sorrow and aroha at the passing of Kahurangi Tariana Turia.

SPEAKER: Leave is sought for that course of action. Is there any objection? There is none.

DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER: I move, That this House expresses its deep sorrow and aroha at the passing of Kahurangi Tariana Turia.

Tākiri ko te ata ki runga o Tītōhea. Kia unu au i te wai o te puna e kore e mimiti. Aue te mamae e ngau kino nei i te ngākau o te iwi Māori. E kui Tariana, te tōtara haemata, te tawatawa titi kua riro tītapu ki te pō.

Ka rere anō ngā whakaaro ki te whānau Tūria, e noho tonu ana i te kapua pouri. Te mokopuna o tō tātau kui rāua ko koro, e hoki mai ana ki tōna whenua taurikura i tēnei wā. Hoki atu rā koe ki tō nan me tō koro e whanga ana mōu e tama.

[The morning rays shine upon the barren mountain. Let me drink of the everlasting spring. Oh, the pain that tears at the heart of the Māori people. Oh, Dame Tariana, the strong tōtara tree, the inner growth of the trees, you have departed into the night.

My thoughts turn to the Tūria family, who still sit under the dark cloud. The grandchild of our matriarch and patriarch is returning to his homeland. May you meet with your grandmother and grandfather who await you, oh son.]

I think today of our little boy, of her little boy, with a mighty name and a mighty game who has made his way to his nan, and the honour that we have today—and thank you—to be able to mihi to Whaea Tariana. She was an extraordinary wahine, not just as a politician but as a w’aea who would often pick up those who were born with fire in their bellies and didn’t know what to do with it.

Her life’s work was driven by her unwavering belief that every whānau in Aotearoa had their own solutions, were self-determining, and had the power of communities behind them. She was a trailblazer, and we heard that for three or four days as we were sitting there at her tangi. Her advocacy transformed the lives of many.

There are many more articulate and better speakers and politicians who are much older than me who can do the credit to all the mahi that she did. Her service to her iwi, to Māori, to her communities was unprecedented; she had unprecedented firsts and a commitment that spanned five decades.

At a real personal level, Whaea Tariana was truly a wahine rangatira. She knew how to weave us all together. I think about when she crossed the floor. She had been involved in our lives in South Taranaki for quite some time, and I keep thinking about how lost and lonely and extremely uncomfortable it was for her—this House has that effect on us—and how she held to her w’akapono, how she held to her integrity. Despite being so uncomfortable, she did indeed cross that floor. Behind the scenes while that was going on—and this is what I’d like to talk about at a personal level—she came to see us all, young and old. She got around the motu and she called us and gathered us wherever we were and she asked our opinion if we thought that she should cross the floor for the kaupapa, which at the time was the foreshore and seabed. There wasn’t one person in all the kaupapa—and we were following her—that didn’t agree, that I was around, anyway.

The biggest honour was not only being part of those kōrero, but actually understanding where she was going with that and her absolute total conviction. Some of the things that I’d like to share with you, at a personal level, is not only how she brought us all into that kōrero, it’s also the way that she was able to articulate things that we were too scared to at the time.

You’ve got this educated, again, fire-in-the-belly rangatahi—and I was rangatahi at the time—lost, trying to understand why it is that we’re struggling to articulate how we feel. I know it upset many, but when she articulated from the Taranaki Waitangi Tribunal report that Taranaki had endured a holocaust—and I know it is really deeply disrespectful for some—for me, personally, it was liberating because I didn’t understand what had happened to us. She started to help us unravel and understand who we were and what reconciliation needed to be.

These things that Whaea Tariana—she absolutely would not let the party die. And some of us were needing to do other things; we weren’t necessarily planning on coming to be politicians and help bring her movement back to life. In 2017 to 2020, she would not let us rest and at her tangi we got to meet some of the other wahine who she was also like that with, and I’d like to mention Nancy Tuaine, Melody Te Patu, Piri Cribb, Helen Leahy—the survivors. They called themselves survivors because they managed to last with her—apparently that was a stamina resilience test in the first place.

I love the way that she not only helped us as young people to understand who we were but she also made sure we never forgot everyone else. At times, I think sometimes we get in this place and we show our teeth too much and it looks like we don’t have a balanced view. But, actually, she did radical things like cross the floor, but she also made sure she remembered to love everyone.

I’m not as eloquent as Helen Leahy was in her eulogy, I struggle to put three or four syllables together in one word—I think that’s actually a me-and-Rawiri problem. But one of the things I do want to share is the way she held my mum’s hand on campaign nights when we weren’t sure if we were going to get in. I know you all understand the risks we take when we campaign out there. The way she assured my mum, who is disabled and extremely precious to us; the way she could growl without a single word; the way that when we were at the hīkoi, the recent one, and we went to take her to her car, people parted like an ocean, and it was a profound impact of her mana. I was really humbled to sit back and watch that as we were navigating her through everyone and to see all the ages, all the stages, and all the cultures that respected and understood the mana of our wahine.

Her children also were with her. Her son taught our children and our son and husband how to do billboards. Her daughter showed us how to plan. Her son looks after our iwi. She took with her a whole village. Her legacy that she leaves as she rests shows the garden thriving not only in Whanganui and W’angaehu but also in her movement. While we may not be the same era, make no mistake, we never forget what it is and who she was for us.

Her awa quickly navigated her from Pākaitore to Parihaka. I’ve never seen it move so fast, and quickly she was taken to W’angaehu as they patiently let the motu mourn her. We knew that she was pining for Uncle George and if anybody knows her, wherever she was, he was. She always reminded us, and she continued to live and share with us, a real family. She had a real family. She never made us think we couldn’t be here if we had real families with real life issues, with real whānau issues. One of the things that I will really dearly remember—preciously—about Whaea Tariana is that she made sure she never forgot her husband and her kids and her mokopuna.

As we all come back here and we leave them and we get back in here, I promise this year I’ll try, Chris Bishop, not to show my teeth so much. But we growl and we come in here and we get grumpy, and we get to a point where we don’t behave like we would with our whānau if we were growling normally at home. One of the things that I want to do is remind ourselves, as the year starts, of the legacy of Whaea Tariana: to never forget your partners, to look after your tamariki, to make time for your mokopuna. Because 18 years here—all the kōrero that we heard on her poroporoaki night was the undying love of her mokopuna, and I think that’s the precious part that I’d leave for Whaea Tariana.

Nō reira e te Whaea, hoatu rā koe. Moe mai rā i tō moenga roa. [Dame Tariana, oh matriarch, leave us. Sleep in your everlasting sleep.]

We will miss you, we will love you, we will honour you, and we’ll look after your whānau. Kia ora rā.

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

E te rangatira, e te Kaiwhakahaere o te Whare, tēnā koe. Tō tātau kahurangi, māreikura, ahorangi, rangatira, whanaunga, Tariana. Haere rā i te rā o te waru ki te rārangi tapairu ki te rangi. Kōrua tahi ko tāu mokopuna a Pākaitore, āna kua hoki atu ki te taha o tō hoa rangatira, tō makau a George, a Hōri. Rere atu ki tua o Meretūahiahi, ki tua o Whitikaupeka, i te wā o Puanga, o Matariki, ki tua o Pōhutukawa.

[To the esteemed one, the Speaker of the House, greetings to you. To our Dame, our high-ranking woman, our knowledgeable one, our leader, our relation, Tariana. Leave us now in the time of summer and go to the line of high-ranking people in the sky. You and your grandson Pākaitore, you have gone to be with your husband and loved one, George, Hōri. Fly beyond the evening star, beyond Spica, in the time of Rigel, of Pleiades, and beyond Sterope.]

We will remember Kahurangi Tariana Turia—Auntie Tari—for her legacy of whānau over politics; a dedicated leader who did so much for the betterment of Māori and all New Zealanders. For those of us lucky ones from Te Kāhui Maunga and Te Kāhui Tupua, people of Taranaki, Whanganui, Ruapehu, and Rangitīkei, we knew of Auntie—and Uncle—as rangatira before she arrived in this fine House. Programmes like Project Employment Programme and Maccess, Whangaehu Marae, and of course one of her crowning legacies, Te Oranganui, dedicates and exemplifies her contribution to the social fabric and the whakapapa fabric of our rohe. A pillar of Aotearoa New Zealand’s political and social landscape and whānau landscape, sadly passing away recently at the ripe age of 80.

Her deep aroha for others and an extraordinary ability to relate to people of all shapes, sizes, different walks of life made her an inspiring and effective leader. And of course, a defining moment in her career, as mentioned earlier, came in 2004 when she, along with Matua Tā Pita Sharples, Matua Whatarangi, and a whole host of hōia came together to establish the Māori Party—Te Pāti Māori. This bold move was driven, in my view, by an unwavering commitment to iwi and Māori responsibilities, rights, and indeed tino rangatiratanga around the takutai moana and many other kaupapa, later progressed through her mahi tahi—her work together—with the Hon Chris Finlayson.

In 2008, Te Pāti Māori entered into an agreement, a cooperation agreement with our National Party, and while maintaining its toka tū moana—an independent stance—the parties worked together to create policies that would benefit Māori and indeed all New Zealanders, especially through Whānau Ora.

Whānau Ora, in my view, became one of Auntie’s greatest achievements. Under her leadership as Minister, it reimagined Kāwanatanga by putting whānau and the wellbeing of whānau at the heart of decision making—a policy born out of the belief that whānau, not Government bureaucracy, should have the power to shape our own futures. Whaea Tariana set great course for this waka and thanks to her leadership, subsequent Ministers from across the spectrum of this Whare will inherit the navigation of its continued journey.

I had the privilege of recently travelling with Matua Kiritopa Luxon, the Prime Minister, to pay our respects alongside many other leaders within this Whare and indeed leaders throughout the country at the uhunga for Whaea Tariana—the tangihanga. It was evident that her ability to work across political lines was etched in her life’s resume. While fiercely loyal to Te Pāti Māori, iwi, hapū, and whānau, she understood that collaboration was key to bringing about meaningful change without compromising our values.

Her focus always on outcomes for whānau and not party politics; on tikanga and not Pukamata [Facebook], Whaea Tariana had the rare ability to bridge different hues of the political rainbow and bring people together for the greater good. Her wairua was central to her political momentum, particularly with policies and programmes like Whānau Ora. Whaea Tariana’s relationships with the National Party, and indeed with many of us in this fine House today and prior to, is based on mutual respect, whanaungatanga, whakapapa, and manaakitanga. She understood that real change required pragmatism, and her mahi showed that the needs of whānau could transcend party politics. Action, in my view, for her, was more important than speculation and media grabs. Her legacy is in the belief in the power of collaboration, or, as my colleague the member for Hauraki-Waikato will reflect, mahi tahi, as we describe it in Waikato. Her legacy is her commitment to the service of others.

Moe mai rā e te Whaea, koutou ko matua Hōri, ko Pākaitore. E mihi ana ki tō tātau rangatakapū.

[Sleep, oh lady, you and father Hōri, and Pākaitore. I acknowledge our esteemed party.]

Your mahi and your vision for the betterment of iwi Māori and all New Zealanders will continue with us well beyond our mokopuna into the mokomoko and beyond. Mauri ora ki a tātau. [Wellbeing to all.]

Kororia hareruia ki a koe Ihowa o ngā mano, tuauriuri whāioio, kī tonu te rangi me te whenua i te nui o tōu kororia, tihei mauri ora.

Kei te mihi atu anō i te āhuatanga ki ō tātau tini mate, rātau katoa e hinga mai nā puta noa i ngā moutere, tae atu ki te kahurangi nei a Dame Tariana Turia, tae atu anō hoki ki tōna mokopuna a Pākaitore. Nō reira koutou ngā mate, hoki wairua atu ki te ringa kaha o Ihowa o ngā mano. Nō reira ko te Māngai hei tautoko mai, āianei, ake nei, āe.

Ki a tātau ngā kanohi ora e te Māngai o te Whare, tēnā koe. Ki a koutou katoa, tēnā koutou.

[Glory, hallelujah to Jehovah of the myriad, the innumerable and the multitudes, heaven and earth is full with your glory. I now begin my speech.

I acknowledge the many bereavements, those throughout our islands who have passed, and indeed Dame Tariana Turia and her grandson, Pākaitore. To all that have passed, let your spirit return to the mighty hand of God of the multitudes. With the affirmation of the Mouthpiece, now and forever, Amen.

Turning to us here, the living, to the Speaker of the House, I greet you. I greet you all.]

I was actually one of the survivors that Debbie Ngarewa-Packer spoke about. I worked for Tariana from 2002 to 2005. I tell people that I lasted three elections, though—that was two general elections and a by-election and it felt like nine years. But I wanted to share a few personal insights into who—as the Hon Tama Potaka said—everyone at home called Auntie Tari, and I was no different.

As Debbie Ngarewa-Packer spoke about, her travelling around—I got to drive her sometimes; quite often, actually. Some of the more funny things: she wasn’t a very good navigator, and Uncle George used to tell me, “Don’t let her tell you where to go, which turns to take. She’ll get you lost.” And she did. But she did not get our iwi lost, she did not get our hapū lost, and she did not get her whānau lost—never.

I’m not going to repeat what members have already said, but to endorse that is absolutely how she was: whānau always came first. And she managed to have a career here in Wellington in this House. Think about it, she was the only Te Pāti Māori MP from 2004. She spoke on every single Government bill, she never missed a vote, and she attended select committees. She also managed to get back home for every tangi that was at the Whangaehu Marae.

How she did it was through the support of both her staff and, in particular, Uncle George and her whānau. She had the ability. She was really well read—she always read. And her intellect was that she could handle anyone on any topic, just about. I really appreciate the fact that she was able to give us the language to address some really complex issues that our whānaus were facing and still are. We still quote her today.

She had this vision for the future of whānau. We’re not there yet; this country is not there. I don’t think this country’s quite ready for what she had in mind. If members go back to what she was saying in 2004 around Whānau Ora, the Whānau Ora that we’ve got today—great Government policy, great kaupapa, but it’s not quite the version that she had anticipated or wanted. But I believe she set the foundations for that legacy for the future to actually achieve what she saw as the vision for Whānau Ora.

It was really about—she didn’t want our families to be having social workers and community workers all parked in the driveway, dealing with what was wrong with them. She had this absolute faith that whānau—we should be talking about and encouraging them and supporting them in the things that they wanted to do, because she really believed that they had the answers, as Debbie Ngarewa-Packer stated, to all of the issues that they were facing. But that needs a partnership arrangement with all of the rest of Aotearoa, and that isn’t quite what we’ve got now. For those of you or us that want to remember her into the future, I just say that the way to do that is actually to make that legacy a reality the way that she had envisioned.

Right now, the people at Whangaehu—I live in Whangaehu as well and, right now, I know they’re gathering at Whangaehu Marae because of another sadness that has come on to the whānau. So my aroha goes out to the Turia whānau, to Pahia and Tamala, the Chambers whānau, Dave and Arlene, and all of the tamariki and mokopuna who will be gathering, waiting for their boy to come home.

I think I’ll leave it there. This isn’t the speech that I wrote but this is the one I really wanted to give. I just want to thank the House for allowing this debate today. If you want to hear some of the most magnificent kōrero at a tangi, go online and hear some of the speeches that were made at Tariana’s tangi, because we had the greatest of orators of Aotearoa there. You will hear everything about her in a much, much better way than I’d be able to say it.

However, koinā aku kōrero mō tēnei wā. Nō reira e ngā mate maha o te wā, hoki wairua atu ki a rātau mā, e oki, e moe, e moe.

[That is all for now. To all the many deaths, return in spirit to those who await, rest, sleep, sleep.]

Moe mai rā e te rangatira. It’s my honour, on behalf of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, to stand and to acknowledge the passing of a mighty tōtara who has fallen. Kahurangi Tariana Turia was a force of nature, and I want to acknowledge her loss and send our aroha to her whānau, to Te Pāti Māori, to her community, to her iwi, to her hapū, and to everybody who is feeling that loss across Aotearoa New Zealand.

From what I know of her—and I think it was abundantly apparent to anybody who had any proximity to Kahurangi Tariana Turia—it was her extraordinary, deep integrity and intellect and a deep calmness that came to the way that she did her job and the way that she spoke and held space. From what I know and what I have heard from some members of our caucus who had the opportunity to work with her and to then kōrero with her, she was stern at times but deeply loving; quick with wit; and with a huge, big, loving heart.

From what I know and what I have seen of her legacy—which I want to acknowledge other members have touched upon as something that we need to consistently honour and build upon—I think the thing that resonates the most for me is how she saw so profoundly how everything was connected and how we, as people, cannot be removed from our context. She understood that the health of our lungs was related to, and could be not removed from, the health of the air around us in the mahi that she did on Smokefree. She understood that the wellbeing of people is deeply connected to the context that we are within, within our whānau, and within our communities in the mahi that she did on Whānau Ora. She understood that the health of our awa, of our rivers, is deeply connected to the health of the whenua and of the people as well, and obviously she demonstrated that amply in her mahi in the restoring and being the matriarch of the Whanganui River.

We know that she took deep wisdom into spaces of power and of influence, and I just wanted to acknowledge that when we, as a caucus, made our way through Whanganui on the way to the marae for the tangi, that we felt compelled to go and visit and touch the river. Again, just another example of how all of these things are connected and some things are bigger than what we find words to explain.

Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au. I am the river, and the river is me. Moe mai rā e te rangatira. [Sleep my esteemed one.]

I rise on behalf of ACT to join with other speakers in paying tribute to Dame Tariana Turia. Dame Tariana was a very special person and a very special kind of politician—in fact, one who practised the politics of kindness before it was cool; one who stood on principle and backed it up with bravery by crossing the floor and leaving her party on a crucial piece of legislation of that day.

I’m proud to say, as Sir Micheal Cullen noted at the time, that ACT was the only party that stood consistently with that position in favour of the rule of law at that time. In fact, we often found common cause. Shortly after Dame Tariana’s passing, I received a message reminding me that it was because of Dame Tariana’s advocacy in the background that while we were in Government, our two parties, for nine years, were able to bring about and sustain partnership schools or kura hourua. She later went on to join the board of E Tipu E Rea, the support agency at that time for kura hourua.

Her policy of Whānau Ora, I always believed, really was tino rangatiratanga in action—self-determination for all people who wish to chart their destiny and live as they would choose to live.

“E tipu e rea”—as I’m sure many members will know—means “grow strong, little shoot”. I’m very proud as we mark Dame Tariana’s passing that many of us will remember her in different ways. Some of us knew her very well; others, like me, only distantly. But as we see new kura hourua opening up and down New Zealand this week, that is one of the ways that I remember her—grow strong, little shoot, and haere rā, Dame Tariana.

Motion agreed to.