Obituaries — Raiha Lady Mahuta 
Obituaries — Raiha Lady Mahuta 
[Volume:661;Page:9667] 
Tuesday 23 March 2010 
Mr Speaker 
 took the Chair at 2 p.m. 
Prayers 
. 
Obituaries 
Raiha Lady Mahuta 
Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 I seek leave to move a motion without notice on the recent passing of Raiha Lady Mahuta. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is there any objection to that course being followed? There is no objection. 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: I move  
That this Parliament mark the passing of Raiha Lady Mahuta.  
This morning I was informed of the passing of Lady Raiha who was a quiet but effective leader and negotiator for Waikato-Tainui. On behalf of this House I offer my sincere sympathy to the whanau friends and colleagues of Lady Raiha. 
Lady Raiha was best known to many of us for her Waikato-Tainui links but she also acknowledged her northern tribal connections. She studied physiotherapy at Otago University in the 1960s where she met her future husband Robert Mahuta. Following the death of her husband Sir Robert in 2001 Lady Raiha took on a leading role in Waikato-Tainui affairs focusing particularly on the Waikato River claim. She was passionate about her cause and she was determined to complete the task left to her by her late husband. In doing so she was respectful of others’ views but forthright with her own. She was open and honest during the process. 
Just last Friday I spent some time with Lady Raiha in Hamilton. Although I did not know at the time that she was in her final days I was struck by how Lady Raiha maintained her dignity and her commitment to the Waikato-Tainui cause despite her illness. Lady Raiha was 67 years old. She will be greatly missed by the people of Tainui and particularly by her children: Tukaroto our parliamentary colleague Nanaia and Tipa. Lady Raiha also had six grandchildren. Our thoughts are with Lady Raiha’s whanau at this time. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rawhiti) 
:  
E te Kaiwhakawa o te Whare ki a tatau katoa e mahi atu i konei e tautoko te Ropu Reipa nga korero o te Kaiwhakahaere o te Kawana. Na te mea i roto i etahi o tatau Ngai Maori e mohio atu kei te makuku haere te whenua o te motu mo tenei hinga mo tenei wahine rangatira i whai kaha atu a muri a nga take e pa ana ki te pai o tatau. Na te mea ahakoa he wahine no te taitokerau e tu atu hei kaikorero mo te Kuini Maori i era tau a muri. I tae atu i te tu a te Kingi Tuheitia i reira ke a Te Raiha e manaaki atu nga take. Na te mea e mohio atu tatau mai i ra ano he wahine pukumahi ki te whakatikatika i nga ahua mo te rawakore. He wahine e kaha ana mo te whakatikatika te paru i roto i te wai o te awa o Tainui. He tino wahine hoki e poipoi atu ona mokopuna. 
Kei te tangi hoki te ngakau mo ona tamariki a Tukaroto raua ko Nanaia me Tipa. Na te mea hoki e mohio atu tatau he wahine pukumahi. Ahakoa i reira ke tona hoa rangatira a Kotahi a Bob e mahi ana i nga mahi e tu atu a Raiha i runga i tona tu anake mo tona kaha ki te manaaki atu i ona whanau whanui. Na te mea hoki e tuku aroha atu tatau o tenei ropu nga kanohi Maori i konei mo te rere haere o tenei kuia wahine. Me ki penei tonu ahakoa te karangatanga o Waikato taniwha rau mo to ratau nama mo te he piko he taniwha kia pai hoki to haere e Rai kia tae kaha atu koe ki to hau kainga i te wahi tata nei ki Te Oneroa-a-Tohe. No reira tena tatau tena tatau katoa. 
[ 
Mr Speaker and all those who work here the Labour Party supports the statement made by the Prime Minister. That is because Maori know that this country will be drenched with tears for the passing of this noble woman who worked diligently behind the scenes in matters pertaining to our wellbeing. Although Lady Raiha was from the far north she spoke on behalf of both the Maori Queen and King Tuheitia on various matters. We also know that for a long time she strove to improve the lives of the poor and made great efforts to clean up the Waikato River. She also cared a lot for her grandchildren.  
I express my sympathies to her children Tukaroto Nanaia and Tipa. We all know that she was a hard-working woman. Despite the presence of her husband Sir Robert Lady Raiha stood for various causes and cared for her extended families. Therefore we of the Labour Party and its Maori members offer our condolences for the passing of this matriarch. Despite the saying of Waikato which states that at every corner of the river there is a leader we say farewell to you Lady Raiha may you reach your home near Ninety Mile Beach. So greetings and thank you all 
.] 
METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) 
: 
 I stand here to support the motion. First I acknowledge the passing of Bevan Tipene-Matua: father friend environmentalist and rangatira. We join with others today kia ora to mourn the passing of Lady Raiha. Ka maharatia e au te wahine rongonui ko Raiha. E kui tautoko katoa mai te ringa a Whina Kupa ka pakari ana ta korua wairua moe mai ra. 
[ 
I will remember this famous woman Raiha. Dear lady your total support and that of Whina Cooper has been spiritually uplifting. Rest well 
.]  
Lady Mahuta was a woman who was passionate about her whenua and her awa her whanau and her iwi. She played a leading role in negotiating with the Crown which is always difficult on behalf of Waikato-Tainui in signing the settlement deal which provided for a significant fund for the cleaning up of the polluted Waikato River and for a river co-management arrangement. Her commitment to the environment was an inspiration to us and her ability to weave together kaitiakitanga and rangatiratanga and to make it understandable to the Crown and to others was an exceptional skill one that will be sorely missed. 
She was a courageous negotiator and a courageous woman and I know she will be deeply missed. The Green Party sends our heartfelt prayers and love to our colleague Nanaia to her whanau to her hapu and to her iwi. Kia ora koutou. 
Hon RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) 
: 
 I rise on behalf of the ACT Party on this sad day to mark the passing of Lady Raiha Mahuta and to extend our condolences particularly to Nanaia Mahuta our parliamentary colleague and to the wider Mahuta family. My most recent meeting with Lady Raiha was on the vexed issue of the boundaries of the new Auckland Council and Lady Raiha Mahuta along with Sir William Birch put the case most forcefully for shifting the boundaries north. On that day we did not agree nor did the Government but I have to say that throughout the discussion Lady Raiha conducted the argument with the utmost respect and dignity that one has come to expect with this wonderful lady. Thank you. 
Hon TARIANA TURIA (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
:  
E te piki amokura o Ngapuhi kua katohia nei koe e te ringa kaha o aitua. E kore e mutu nga mihi ki a koe mo o whiwhinga i te ao turoa nei. Haere ki to iwi ki te nuinga o te tangata. Oti atu e. 
[ 
Oh my beloved one of Ngapuhi you have been plucked by the strong arm of death. Tributes to you for your achievements in this world will never end. Go to your people and the majority that await never to return 
.] 
Today the tears of Tongariro will flow into the Whanganui River. The connection we make as river people is an intimate one; through w’akapapa we have been bound together. The Waikato iti which is a source of the great Waikato River starts on Tongariro maunga. Both the Whangaehu and the Whanganui headwaters are diverted into the Waikato catchment. Physically culturally and spiritually our connections will always be strong. We mourn the loss of Lady Raiha Mahuta a kuia rangatira who devoted so much of her life to nurturing the life force of her children her mokopuna and all those who come after her. 
Her name will be for ever linked with the legacy of protection and preservation of the Waikato River and I stand today first as an uri of Whanganui and Whangaehu to honour Lady Raiha for the generosity of spirit that she expressed towards us. We have much to treasure in her contribution. We have much to grieve. We are in awe of the sheer tenacity of her role the respect she engendered from the Crown and the strength of her commitment to principles as co-negotiator on the Waikato River settlement for Waikato-Tainui. She did so much to protect and preserve the tribal and cultural heritage of Tainui and for that this nation is indebted to her. 
In the example that she modelled for Tainui she also blazed a pathway for other iwi including my own. It was through the grace of the late Maori Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu the late Sir Robert Mahuta and Lady Raiha that our claim before the tribunal was heard first of all the big river claims. Lady Raiha and Tukoroirangi Morgan were also instrumental in providing support for the Whanganui River settlement including sending people down to provide advice to our technicians. They supported us in many ways and in turn we shared appreciation of their generosity in helping them to establish tira hoe waka along their river. 
So close is the relationship between Whanganui and Waikato that Dame Te Ata bestowed upon our old people the honour of naming her mokopuna Ngawai Hono i te Po the daughter of Kingi Tuheitia and also Amaia the daughter of Tipa the daughter of Lady Raiha and Sir Robert. These connections lifelong tribally bound and personally linked are the ones that we will treasure for ever. When we see them we will remember Raiha. 
But there are other associations that I want to mention. Raiha and I were part of the national employment network during the 1980s working on Maori access and Maori business development. We were both engaged in job creation in our respective rohe and it was through that capacity that I developed a huge admiration for her which continues to this day. Raiha was very involved in Tainui’s response to the high unemployment at that time including running a number of programmes within Waikato. The thing that I liked most about her was that she was a true visionary able to see a pathway forward and then to put in the energy and determination to make it happen. She was hard-working and extremely committed to her people and would stop at nothing to make the difference. 
Finally I want to extend our love and our support from the Maori Party to the w’anau hapu and iwi whom Lady Raiha leaves behind. She was extremely aware of the enormous sacrifice that her husband the late Sir Robert made in the commitment he made to the people of Tainui a commitment that essentially he gave his life for. Lady Raiha was determined that her w’anau would continue to function and indeed to succeed in every aspect of their world. She was literally the heartbeat of her family. Today our aroha goes out to her children particularly to our colleague Nanaia; her mokopuna; the people of Tainui; and also her Ngapuhi people in Kawakawa. 
Today the tears of Ruapehu and Tongariro join with those of Tainui Ngati Manu Ngati Rangi and te iwi Maori katoa. We mourn the loss of a rare and distinguished leader within the Kingitanga a devoted wife a proud mother and an adoring grandmother. Tena koutou katoa. 
Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future) 
: 
 On behalf of United Future I join with others in this House who have paid tribute to the late Lady Raiha Mahuta. I did not have the privilege of knowing her personally but I do know of her very strong reputation her considerable achievements and the widespread regard and affection within which she was held by her family. I know too of the deep sense of loss that they will be feeling at this sad time. My thoughts are with our parliamentary colleague Nanaia in particular. Our wish is that the family is able to come together to deal with this massive gap in their lives to pay tribute as appropriate and to respect a great New Zealand woman. 
It is always difficult at times like this to come to grips with the reality of what has happened but I hope that the regard in which Lady Mahuta was held by many around this country and by this House as is evident in this Chamber this afternoon is of some consolation to the family in the difficult days ahead. My thoughts are certainly with them. 
Motion agreed to.