5 July 2015

POROPOROAKI: Te Iria Whiu

Kei taku tuarā, kei taku kaitohutohu, kei te ringa awhina, kei te toka tū moana, kei te kaitiaki o ngā whakatupuranga, e Te Iria e, e tangi hotuhotu ana te ngākau, e mōteatea ana te whatumanawa mōu e kui e. Takoto, kia mihia koe e te Pāti Māori, e ō iwi, e te motu. Haere, whakangaro atu rā. Waiho ake mā tēnei whakatupuranga ōu moemoeā e whakatinana.

The Maori Party grieves today at the passing of an outstanding educator, a beloved kuia of Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Ahi, a treasured mother and grandmother, Te Iria Marama Whiu.

“Iria was a born leader from her earliest days at Maungatapu School to her last inspirational address in which she shared her vision for education with over 200 teachers gathered at Tauarau Marae in Rūātoki” said friend, colleague and Māori Party co-leader, Te Ururoa Flavell.

“It could not have been more fitting that her last words on earth were in the context of Te Kāhui Whetu, the annual NZEI hui focusing on Māori issues in education,” said Te Ururoa Flavell.

“In the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Iria was recognized as a Member of the New Zealand Merit for her services to education and Māori. Iria literally gave her life to education – dedicating over 40 years to the profession as a classroom teacher and earning the distinctive honour of being elected the first Māori president of the New Zealand Educational Institute in 1995”.

“Kura all over the country have been influenced by her leadership, but particularly as Principal of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Bernard Fergusson and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Ara Rima in Hamilton and more recently as the Board Chair of Te Whare Kura o Mauao”.

“Iria was relentless in her pursuit of improving the educational outcomes for mokopuna Māori. “She was an academic, a published writer of Māori-medium books for kura, a specialist advisor, a mentor and an educational expert who exerted influence at home and nationally, through her consistent and principled belief in the value of learning. She was also a Mataatua iwi representative on the Iwi Education Authority and an active member of Ngā Kura-ā-Iwi o Aotearoa”.

“Iria was steeped in tikanga Māori, she had a great love of kapa haka, waiata, mōteatea, mātauranga Maori in its broadest sense. She was a treasured member of the Te Moana a Toi/Bay of Plenty Whānau Ora Regional Leadership Group; in short Iria was actively involved in every aspect of iwi life.

“Iria was a distinguished presence at home on her marae. She was heavily involved with Te Matahauariki o Tauranga Moana from 1999 to 2011; interim chair of Bethlehem Marae and deputy chair of the Rūnanganui o Tauranga Moana from 2005 to 2007, which was responsible for the return of Mauao in 2007. She was also a trustee of the Mauao trust.

“Her unstinting belief in kaupapa Māori shone through her contribution at every level to the development of the Māori Party” said Te Ururoa. “I will miss her dearly – she was such a wise and principled person, I always felt stronger in her presence”.

“When Iria was awarded the MNZM she was asked about the most rewarding role in her life. Her reply was characteristic of her great humility and her singular purpose in life: "When you are teaching a child to read, they blossom and when they realise they can read their first sentence those are the highlights for me”.

“The nation is stronger because of that leadership. While we lament our loss, and express our deepest sympathy for her children and mokopuna, we must all treasure and uphold the legacy she leaves behind.”

Whaea Te Iria Whiu passed away on Saturday 4 July 2015, at Tauarau Marae in Rūātoki. She will lie in state at Hairini Marae in Tauranga.

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