Turia Tariana: Obituaries — Raiha Lady Mahuta 
Turia Tariana: Obituaries — Raiha Lady Mahuta 
[Volume:661;Page:9668] 
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.