Obituary: Farewell to Pa Henare Tate, mover of mountains

Pa Henare Tate, the achiever of impossible tasks.

The keel

For those who may not be familiar with the work of Pa Henare Tate, he could be described as the keel of our iwi waka, a vessel to take our iwi into this millennium.

A millennium man is perhaps the best way to describe him - a visionary who continually projected forward with ideas that at times seemed impossible and most certainly improbable.

His legacy can never be lost. It is nestled within the fabric of whanau experiences and memories. He ignited the spirits of the unwilling and quelled the over-exuberant.

Retrieving Bishop Pompallier's bones from his home turf in France was an impossible enough task. But to gain the Pope's permission and the participation of the haukainga were in themselves almost impossible tasks, especially in a small window of time. The result could only be described as magnificent, with obvious signs divine blessing.

The on-going importance of that exercise to our people is yet to be realised, and the iwi of Te Rarawa in particular will have an important role in that French and Catholic connection.

But all his dreams were like that, well thought through and a robust consultation process with knowledgeable people who could assist; a formula for success, and wherever he went he somehow brought a measure of success, even when things failed.

In my mind he was one of the toughest men I have ever met. A brilliant mind combined with a fearless heart, tempered in life by other icons, Maori and Pakeha alike.

His legacy can never be lost. It is nestled within the fabric of whanau experiences and memories. He ignited the spirits of the unwilling and quelled the over-exuberant.

He created that balance on numerous occasions for the benefit of his people, and never himself.

E toku Papa, E toku Hoa. E toku Rangatira. Haere Ra.

Maori translation

Ina ka tiro kau atu ki nga tapuwae o to tatou pirihi a Pa Henare Tate ka kite tonu ki tona haereretanga kei waenga o tatou whanau, hapu, hahi ranei. I a ia ko reira, he hua I te mutunga mai o tana tautoko.

Ahakoa maori mai, pakeha mai he Katorika, he Mihingare me he aha atu, nona te ngakau nui I hiki ki tona whakakatutukitanga.

He pou hoki a ia mo te amorangi ki mua, he kaiakiaki ano mo te hapai o ki muri. Ko tona mana he mea whakaheke, tuku iho hoki mai i Ngati Tamatea hei tatai rangatira ki a Waimirirangi e toi tonu atu nei ki nga mumu tai o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia.

Na kua wahangu te reo o Motuti. Ko te tikanga ma ona hononga e hapai, he whariki ataahua mo te iwi nei ko Te Rarawa. Na Pa I piri pumau ki tenei Kaupapa a iwi nei. Ko tona tikanga kia waiho te ao porotiki ratou ki a ratou engari ano mo to tatou Runanga.

Ko Pa tonu tetahi pou arahi mo nga kaimahi, nana ano I whakaako, I whakapai hoki a ratou mahi. Ka mutu ko te aue tenei o te heamana mo toku pou herenga ki te ao e marama ana, te ao e awhina mai hoki kia tika te tu o tenei turanga. Nana hoki te korero kia pono te tuatahi, tuarua kia tika nga mea katoa. Na te noho nga-tahi o te tokorua nei ka kite rawa atu nga wahanga e tika ana kia maringi noa te aroha.

Engari kua okioki ke te kaumatua ra. Kahore e kore I tatari noa ia mo te roanga o ona tau kia tutaki a ia ki tona atua. Kua whiwhia a ia te orangatonutanga o tona whakapono, he aha atu I tera.

Haere e Pa haere ko te Rangimarie ai ko tou waka kia kawe atu ai to wairua ki mua I te aroaro o te runga rawa. Ko reria, kei mamao nga mano me nga tini e waiata tahi ana.
Haere, Haere Hoki Atu Ra.