Māori and Pasifika rights activists around the country are mourning the loss of Polynesian Panthers pioneer Miriama Rauhihi Ness.
The mother of singer Che Fu, Rauhihi Ness is a descendant of Ngāti Raukawa and was instrumental in the mobilisation of the Polynesian Panthers as well as the 1975 Land March.
Panthers founding member Will Ilolahia spoke to Te Ao Māori News and says Rauhihi Ness' death has come as a shock and Māoridom should know about her legacy.
"I would say that Māoridom should credit her for the things she has done for this country. She stood out and she was a real feisty, fiery mate -you didn't want to get on the bad side of her because she would just tell it how it is."
Rauhihi-Ness was not only one of the main organisers of the 1975 Land March, but she also helped lodge the Māori language petition in 1972, which resulted in Māori becoming an official language in Aotearoa in 1987.
Her noble work also included bringing the Pacific community together to stand up for the rights of Māori.
The whānau of Miriama Rauhihi-Ness only found out about her cancer in recent weeks, and just yesterday she died.
He mihi aroha ki te whānau pani.