George (Hori) Bennett photographed in 2001. Photo / Stephen Parker
George (Hori) Bennett photographed in 2001. Photo / Stephen Parker
He was a fatherly night owl who kept the country company between midnight and 6am.
Now Papa Ruru, as he was known on the airwaves, will be remembered as a fond memory of iwi radio.
George (Hori) Bennett from Rotorua died on January 22 at the age of 82.
He was touted as running the most popular radio show in the history of iwi radio and has been described as an “unsung hero” of the broadcasting industry.
Friend and former colleague Willie Jackson said he scoffed at Bennett when Bennett initially ran the idea of his show past him.
Jackson said they tuned in not only because of his great Māori and old-school New Zealand music, but because of Bennett’s patience when dealing with callers.
“He became a marriage counsellor, a lawyer, a Treaty land expert, you name it. He would solve the whole world’s problems between midnight and 6am.”
Despite his popularity, funding was pulled and his show was for a time off air. But it wasn’t long before he was back on the airwaves, this time through his connection with Jackson and Radio Waatea who arranged for the broadcast through Radio Te Arawa.
“He had iwi and communities both Māori and Pākehā switching on from everywhere. He had a great temperament and patience and had to put up with many hard cases and, at times, extreme callers but he always calmly handled things and his audience just grew and grew.”
Labour List MP Willie Jackson. Photo / NZME
Jackson said Bennett was on air for about 18 years and became a “household name”.
He said as a former Broadcasting Minister he was disappointed Bennett never received the recognition he deserved, however, he said it was fitting Bennett became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2000 for services to broadcasting.
Trudy Bennett said together she and Bennett - her partner of about 50 years and husband since 2021 - ran a “marae on air”.
She described the heydays as being like social services on air.
“We delivered social services in the middle of the night for free ... If someone rang up and said whānau here didn’t have a kai, we’d arrange for a kai to be taken around, that sort of thing.”
She said on top of the radio shows, they would hold concerts starring Bennett and friends in different parts of the country about every three months. Big bands and household names would be on the line-ups. She said funds from those concerts would be put back into nominated charities from the regions in which the concerts were held.
“He had an incredible brain for details, names and dates.”
George (Hori) Bennett was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2000.
Hundreds attended his funeral at Te Papaiouru Marae and his body was brought on to the marae by Te Reo o Te Mangai band from Te Hapua. His funeral service at St Faith’s Church on Monday was a combined denomination service using Anglican and Ratana ministers.
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said Bennett was a local legend and his death was a big loss for the Rotorua community.
“Hori was first cousins with my mother, so we were blessed to grow up in Kawaha Point with Uncle Hori and enjoy his beautiful voice and larger-than-life personality. His stories and singing were central to our Bennett family gatherings.”
George (Hori) Bennett sings at the Howard Morrison and Friends concert at the RSA on August 2, 2009. Photo / Ben Fraser
She said community service was central to who he was.
“He always gave so much to others and loved doing so. He had time as a police officer, worked in community centres and contributed significantly to marae and kapa haka in South Auckland as well.”
She said his show was meaningful in the lives of many.
“He is succeeded by his equally talented and beautiful children who have inherited his gift of singing, storytelling and ability to bring laughter and joy to others. We’re thinking of them and send them love at this sad time.”
Bennett was the whāngai son of the late Bishop Fred Bennett and his wife who adopted him when his father was presumed dead on Monte Cassino’s bloody battlefield.
He went to Rotorua Primary School but spent part of his secondary school years in Hawke’s Bay before returning to Rotorua.
He tossed a coin on his future - going to work for the Government or becoming a police officer - and a role with the boys in blue won.
Always a singer and musician, his entertaining talents saw him become an “undercover cop” in the 1960s working in bars and nightclubs to find drugs.
From his career in the police, he went to the Mt Wellington Borough Council in an advisory role.
Seconded from the council to the Department of Māori Affairs, he then became instrumental in building a marae on Mt Wellington.
His musical talents saw him appear as a member of the Howard Morrison Quartet among countless other shows, including with his Papa Ruru Show Band.
He is survived by his wife, Trudy, his four daughters and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
