Mark Ron: Obituaries — Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu 
Mark Ron: Obituaries — Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu 
[Volume:633;Page:4756] 
RON MARK (NZ First) 
: 
 Tena koe Madam Speaker. Nga mema Paremata tatou e hui nei tena koutou. Tatou e mihi nei ki Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu. Ka tu ahau ki te tautoko nga mihi. 
[ 
Greetings to you Madam Speaker. Greetings as well to members of Parliament assembled here. I rise in support of the tributes being made by us to Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu. 
] 
It is with humility that I rise on behalf of my party New Zealand First with the support of my iwi Ngati Porou Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa and in particular with the support of the people from my marae in Papawai the marae that was the seat of the Kotahitanga movement and the former Maori Parliament. One hundred and two years ago King Te Rata Mahuta Dame Te Ata’s tipuna passed away. He had attended the Kotahitanga meetings at Papawai and was actively engaged in working with the tribes that supported the movement and in finding ways of enabling Maori iwi to work together. When he passed away Tunuiarangi Major Brown my tipuna represented the Kotahitanga movement and Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa in extending their condolences to Tainui and the Kingi movement at that time. 
Today I am honoured and humbled to stand and pass on the condolences and aroha of my whanaunga the Ngati Kahunungu ki Wairarapa people. I start by paying our respects to Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu to her family and to the people of Tainui. We acknowledge their loss and we say to them: “Your loss is our loss; your grief is our grief. Our hearts are with you and shall always be with you as you move forward to face the future without the support of Dame Te Ata.” 
I also congratulate the people of Tainui on their grace their hospitality and the magnificent way in which they discharged their duties in organising managing and conducting such a royal tangi that was truly befitting of Dame Te Ata and for the way in which they received all of us who visited to pay our respects. As a former logistician in the military I had cause to stand momentarily on the roadside outside the marae and marvel at the logistics the organisation and the tasks and the way in which Tainui had taken up and performed those tasks and had lent dignity and mana to their people and to Maori as a whole. To Tainui we simply say: “Congratulations; well done. Your mana has been greatly increased by the way in which you have handled this tangi.” 
I also congratulate the members of Parliament who cancelled appointments and reshuffled their diaries—changed their personal diaries given that it was an adjournment—to make the time to go to Turangawaewae to pay their respects. To all members of Parliament across the House go our congratulations and our thanks for the honour they did Tainui and Dame Te Ata. 
I also congratulate—and it may seem strange—the New Zealand media. We would say that the future of this country rests fairly and squarely on the way in which we as two peoples in one nation are able to better understand each other—better understand what motivates us what drives us and what is of importance and of value to us. I say to the New Zealand media in television radio and print that they have all collectively enhanced that understanding by the way in which they have portrayed and shown that royal tangi for Dame Te Ata and the Tainui people. I also congratulate all the children who took part. 
For those in Tainui who might despair at the loss of such a great person I say that I too have been reflecting on Maori proverbs. I came across the proverb “Ka to he ra ka rere he ra; a sun sets a day is born.” which is another way of saying: “As one leader falls another rises to take up the challenge.” Fear not Tainui; fear not Maoridom—the lessons that have been given us by such a great lady have been learnt have been well understood will continue to be studied and will continue to be learnt. The challenge for those who follow is to demonstrate leadership with the same sense of quiet dignity and humility that Dame Te Ata has shown throughout her lifetime.  
In closing I am reminded of the time that Te Ata’s auntie Te Puea passed away. A great statesman Apirana Ngata—another one of my tipuna from my Ngati Porou side from my mother—said of her that firstly she was a woman of dignity and mana; secondly she was a Potatau; and thirdly she was for all Maori. The same will now be said of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Sleep sleep sleep in peace our Maori Queen. Your work is done.