POROPORAKI
27, May 2017
Māori Party
Waiariki MP and Co-leader, Te Ururoa Flavell
Marama Fox MP and Co-leader

Poroporoaki – John Te Manihera Chadwick

Manihera, John te hoa pūmau o tō hoa a Stevie, te tuarā tonu o tō hoa o te whānau - moe mai. Kua ohorere tonu tō iwi i tō wehenga. Ko tō hianga kei te rangona tonutia, ko tō momo he ruarua noa iho, he koi te arero, he hūmarie te ngākau. E hoe i tō waka ki Hawaiki rā anō. Whakangaro atu rā.

The Māori Party mourns the loss of one of Rotorua's staunchest advocates, John Te Manihera Chadwick, and pays tribute to a man who epitomised humanity and compassion.

"Tributes are pouring in from every part of the community, the wider legal profession, whānau and friends, to honour the significant contribution of one of Rotorua's leading lights, and that is only appropriate, given the thousands of lives this wonderful man touched," says MP for Waiariki and Co-leader - Māori Party, Te Ururoa Flavell.

"John was a staunch advocate for our rangatahi, in and out of the courtroom, and he mentored generations of Māori lawyers and other community professionals who beat a path to his door - to revel in his knowledge, to be regaled by his endless stories, and to be enraptured with his notorious wit and one liners," Mr Flavell says.

"With a sharp tongue and even sharper mind, John could articulate a point of view with a style that very few possess. Because of these innate qualities, his submissions, whether in front of the judge or during the oral hearings on the proposed Te Arawa Partnership model, were legendary, and his influence will be carved in to the memories of those who were privileged to see him in full flight, for years to come," says Mr Flavell.

"'John Chadwick has been at the forefront of community led initiatives, in his relentless pursuit of justice for those least able to access it, and his service to the community - whether through Te Waiariki Purea Trust over 30 years, the Rotorua District Community Law Centre over 20 years, Tumahaurangi Trust for countless decades or the birth of Whānau Ora in Te Arawa, is testament to his faith in whānau," says Māori Party Co-leader Marama Fox.

He was also the founding president of the Māori Law Society, Te Hunga Roia Māori and served on numerous national bodies and advisory groups during his long career as a Māori lawyer.

"Through his many achievements, John filled us all with pride and he was an inspiration to many throughout his life, in so many areas. When he received his New Year’s Honour in 2016, he reflected on all the pro bono work he had done for clients over the years. That selfless service for which he never sought recognition, was one of the many reasons I was so proud to promote him through the Honours nominations process," says Mr Flavell.

"But as all of us will attest, his greatest contribution was his role as a husband, father and koro. The Māori Party expresses our sincere condolences to our Mayor for Rotorua Stevie, their three tamariki Hana, Eli and Rama, and their mokopuna and wider whānau. John has been at Stevie's side for the good part of nearly half a century, her back bone and her constant and our hearts go out to her and the whānau,” Mr Flavell says.

"To this trailblazing son of Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Wai o Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Whatuiapiti and Ngāti Rangikoianake, we tip our hats to this special person who was a gentleman and a scholar; a fierce advocate and supporter; and a man greatly loved by his whānau," says Ms Fox.

John will lie at his home in Kawaha Point, Rotorua until Monday morning 30, May, when he will be taken to lie in Tamatekapua meeting house at Te Papa-i-ō-Uru, Ohinemutu, Rotorua, before his funeral service at 11am onTuesday, 30 May.

ENDS

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