17/03/2022
KA HINGA TE TŌTARA O TE WAO NUI A TĀNE
Kua whetūrangitia koe ki te korowai o Ranginui a
kua wehe atu koe ki te pō ki tua o te ārai
Ki te okiokinga o tātou tūpuna
Haere, haere, haere
E te rangatira, e Tā Wira, okioki atu rā
The tōtara has fallen in the great forest of Tāne
You who have been adorned as the stars in heaven
You who have departed to the night to beyond
To the resting place of our ancestors
Farewell, Farewell, Farewell
Rest in peace Sir Wira.
It is with great sadness that Aotearoa has lost a great man a retired soldier, civil servant, author and respected leader who is survived by his wife Hekia Parata and his five children. We were fortunate enough to have Tā Wira as a business mentor who backed and championed Māori in business, he was the epitome of Mā te Māori, Mō te Māori - by Māori for Māori. Our sincerest condolences, kaha and aroha to his wife and children at this difficult time. We will miss you Wira 😥
Here is a kōrero written by Wena Harawira
'Sir Wira Gardiner has died after a long illness. He was 78.
His wife, former National cabinet minister, Hekia Parata, said Sir Wira died at home with his family in Gisborne.
A tangihanga will not be held, at the express wish of Sir Wira, to ‘prioritise public health and the demands currently on frontline workers’. However a memorial service is planned at a later date.
Sir Wira Gardiner was of Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Pikiao, Whakatōhea and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui descent.
He had a long career as a senior public servant. He was the first director of the Waitangi Tribunal, the first Chief Executive of the Ministry of Māori Development (Te Puni Kōkiri) and the first Māori to be appointed as the National Director of Civil Defence.
Sir Wira served in the Vietnam war and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, the highest ranking Māori officer at the time.
He gained degrees from Canterbury University and Kings College at the University of London, and wrote extensively on a range of subjects such as kapa haka, the Māori Battalion and a biography on the life of former Minister of Māori Affairs, Parekura Horomia.
Building Māori-Crown relationships was his specialty especially in Treaty of Waitangi settlements, fisheries, broadcasting, local and regional government and tertiary education.
Sir Wira was also a ‘trouble shooter’. Prior to his illness he was appointed as the head of the embattled children's agency, Oranga Tamariki. He also led a controversial review of Waikato University's Māori faculty following claims of racism by Māori academics.
Sir Wira served his own iwi of Ngāti Awa by establishing Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi and serving as its Deputy Chair.
In 2008, he was made a Knight of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to Māori and in 2012 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Māori Development.
In her statement, Hekia Parata described Sir Wira as a man who was ‘dedicated to the nation of Aotearoa-New Zealand and faithful to the Māori people’.
