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National | Ngāpuhi

He maimai aroha: Te Rangihiwinui Tauroa

How can a blade of grass acknowledge the forest, how can a drop of rain acknowledge the ocean? People of today may never be able to truly pay tribute to the esteemed leader, Edward Te Rangihiwinui Tauroa.

His knowledge surpassed time and space, his prestige was from another dimension, from an ilk we may never see again. The first Māori principal in the country, a Māori All Black, the first Māori to be named Race Relations Commissioner, he accomplished many things and had a reputation that preceded him.

His biggest accomplishment and greatest legacy is his family. He leaves behind wife Pat Tauroa, six children and many mokopuna.

To the man of the people. May you rest in the arms of those gone before you as your legacy and future generations live in the beauty that you created.

“Time will not dim the memory of the special class of men of the past who braved the wide expanse of sea and land. Their sacred footprints are scattered over the surface of the land; treasured and sacred.” – Sir James Henare