KEY POINTS:
The body of veteran broadcaster Henare Te Ua was surrounded by whanau, friends and colleagues in an inner Auckland church yesterday.
A morning service of welcome in St Matthew-in-the-City was addressed by former Governor-General Sir Paul Reeves, Radio New Zealand stalwart Harry Hall and Mr Te Ua's former brother-in-law, the Rev Napi Waaka, among others.
Mr Hall, who worked with Mr Te Ua for 30 years, remembered his colleague as a man with high standards.
"Nothing went past him unless it was perfect. He was conscientious and good at passing on techniques to younger broadcasters but he was always mindful of the wisdom and knowledge of his elders."
St Matthew-in-the-City was also the scene last night of Mr Te Ua's funeral.
His body is being taken today to Te Karaka, 32km from Gisborne, for burial.
He is survived by two sons and his partner, Dudley Moir.
Mr Te Ua's radio career began in 1965 at 1XN Radio Northland. He then moved to Radio NZ's Maori and Pacific Islands programming unit, Te Reo o Aotearoa, until its closure in 1997.
He spent the next seven years hosting RNZ's Whenua! programme until his retirement at 71.
As a broadcaster, he covered many Waitangi Day commemorations as well as the Te Maori exhibition opening in New York in 1984.
Mr Te Ua, of Ngati Porou, was brought up near Gisborne and educated at Te Karaka District High School, Gisborne Boys' High and Nelson College, where he was the only Maori on the school's roll.
He went to Canterbury University but dropped out, working at several jobs. Recuperating in hospital after a gliding accident, he met radio station staff and decided to become an announcer.
In 1990, Mr Te Ua was awarded the Queen's Commendation Medal and, in 1992, the Queen's Service Medal.
In 2002, he was awarded the Sir Kingi Ihaka Award for his contribution to Maori arts and, the next year, became a companion of the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
