Editorial: Sir Pita Sharples' top achievement

Sir Pita Sharples.

The Honourable Dr Pita Sharples is now Sir Pita Sharples.

Today's announcement of his knighthood for service to politics and to Maori (one of five from this region to be honoured in the Queen's Birthday Honours List) comes as no real surprise to anyone who's seen his stacked CV or witnessed the mana he exudes.

Long before he was a politician, he was a teacher and educator and is a doctor of anthropology and linguistics.

And long before that, he was born in Waipawa to a mother of Ngati Kahungunu descent and a shearing father - a second-generation New Zealander whose family hailed from the UK.

His later education at Te Aute College he once described as a turning point in his life, particularly when his secondary schooling culminated in his appointment as head boy.

He's followed in the footsteps of Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae, who was knighted in 2011 and the late Sir Turi Carroll, knighted in 1962 - thought to be the two most recently-knighted of Ngati Kahungunu descent.

His unifying stance in this country's ailing race relations was a notable strength. Late last year he wrote: "Our ancestors truly blessed us by establishing a foundation of goodwill, good faith and co-operation for our nation. It is our responsibility, and that of each generation of New Zealanders, to live up to their aspirations for us". It's the sort of cultural wisdom we lack - and will miss dearly if he disappears from the radar. Here's hoping that's not the case.

He's certainly not Te Aute College's only knight but there's a good chance he's Takapau Primary School's first.

Either way, it's a great honour for him, his former schools and the wider Hawke's Bay region he still calls home.