Erima Henare: A true storyteller

The late Erima Henare in Te Tii Marae last year during the release of the Waitangi Tribunal's report into the first stage of the Ngapuhi treaty settlement claims.

Amid all the reminders that will flow over the next few days of the extraordinarily diverse range of accomplishments that marked the career of Erima Henare, who died this week, his unfailing devotion to Te Reo Maori should never be too far from the forefront of our thoughts.

Over the years, Erima and I had occasionally chatted when we met at various hui, but more recently, we had spent more time discussing aspects of the history of Te Reo in the nineteenth century, in preparation for a book I have been writing on the topic.

Anyone who ever had the pleasure to talk with Erima on history would enjoy a virtuoso performance from an expert. His knowledge of Ngapuhi history in particular was impeccable, but he never wielded it in a ponderous manner.

Yes, he was happy to challenge the old certainties contained in those mouldering tomes from which generations of New Zealanders derived their understanding of our past, but he did so with a light touch, aware of how heavy-handed history can be a deterrent.

As a repository of the history of the Ngapuhi dialects of Te Reo, Erima was incomparable, yet, despite his expertise in this field, he was able to sequin even the most technical analyses with personal accounts that animated his explanations.

History is boring? Not when Erima was telling it.

His consummate devotion to the language was made all the more valuable to everyone who entered his orbit by his ability to bridge academic knowledge with a subtly-exercised capacity to cajole and convince. Even a half-hour chat Erima when he was like receiving a masterclass. The lesson could sometimes be tough, but you were always left wanting more.

It is customary to end a tribute to the deceased with a whakatauki, so I would like to offer up an old Montenegrin one: "You can measure the worth of a man by the space that he leaves to be filled when he dies."

In this case, the gap created by Erima's departure will take some time to measure, and is unlikely ever to be filled by a single person again.

• Dr Paul Moon is Professor of History at Auckland University of Technology