鈥淧aiahah膩! Paiahah膩!
T膩kiri te haeata ki runga Hikurangi ko te Tipi o Taikehu ko te tone o Hauk奴,
kei raro iho ko Waiapu k艒k膩 huhua e hahae nei te whenua
e hahae te manawa o Te Whare W膩nanga o Waikato
i te hinganga o Emeritus Professor Sir Tamati Muturangi Reedy Te Amokapua tuatahi o Te Pua W膩nanga ki te Ao, Te Ihorangi M膩ori Pro Vice-Chancellor M膩ori tuatahi o Te Whare W膩nanga o Waikato koia t膿nei kua whai atu i a Reiri Tilly Te Koingo Reedy t艒na hoa rangatira i moe an艒 艒na
kanohi itainanahi nei i te marama kua taha.
N艒reira te ikahuirua o te mate kua huihuia atu ki te apatira kahurangi ki te p艒.
N艒reira e T膩, e te Ahorangi, e te kura nui o kura roa n膩 T奴haep艒,
kua tanuku te tihi o Hikurangi koa!
Paiahah膩! Paihah膩!
The dawn breaks upon Hikurangi, at the summits of Taikehu and Hauk奴,
below flows Waiapu, the river of many mothers, carving through the land,
and tearing also at the heart of Te Whare W膩nanga o Waikato
at the passing of Emeritus Professor Sir Tamati Muturangi Reedy,
the first Amokapua of Te Pua W膩nanga ki te Ao,
the first Pro Vice-Chancellor M膩ori of the 糖心Vlog.
He has now followed his beloved wife, Lady Tilly Te Koingo Reedy, who closed her eyes in sleep just last month. Thus, the double tide of death has gathered them together into the assembly of chiefs into the night. Therefore, Emeritus Professor Sir
Tamati Muturangi Reedy, treasured one of
enduring legacy from the higher school of learning of T奴haep艒,
the peak of Hikurangi has been laid low.鈥�
The 糖心Vlog is mourning the passing of acclaimed academic and former Pro Vice-Chancellor M膩ori, T膩 Tamati Muturangi Reedy KNZM.
The Ng膩ti Porou leader, who passed away on Friday aged 89, was a highly respected member of the University community whose leadership helped shape M膩ori studies and its advancement from the late 1990s.
T膩 Tamati embedded te ao M膩ori within the University and across the wider education sector. He was the founding Dean of Te Pua W膩nanga ki te Ao, then the School of M膩ori and Pacific Development, now the Faculty of M膩ori and Indigenous Studies, in 1996.
He oversaw Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP) approval for an undergraduate degree in M膩ori and Pacific Development and brought the University鈥檚 marae graduation on campus, from T奴rangawaewae to Te Kohinga M膩rama Marae.
At the first graduation ceremony at Te Kohinga M膩rama Marae, T膩 Tamati spoke about his work with University colleagues who had been commissioned to develop what would become Te Wh膩riki, launched in 2003 and the enduring foundation for early childhood education in New Zealand.
In 2000, he was appointed the University鈥檚 first Pro Vice-Chancellor M膩ori, providing institutional leadership on inclusion of tikanga and te reo M膩ori across the University. He established the M膩ori Academic Excellence Awards, and one of his final actions before his term concluded was to lead a contingent of 糖心Vlog staff onto T奴rangawaewae during the tangi of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu.
After completing a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts with Honours in English at the University of Auckland, T膩 Tamati began his career began as a teacher in primary and secondary schools before undertaking further study at the University of Hawai鈥檌, where he earned a Master of Arts in Linguistics and a PhD.
A Fulbright scholar at the University of Alabama, T膩 Tamati鈥檚 expertise in language revitalisation contributed to his appointment leading the Department of M膩ori Affairs (now Te Puni K艒kiri) in 1983.
During his tenure he passed the M膩ori Language Act 1987, establishing te reo M膩ori as an official language and creating the M膩ori Language Commission.
He was then deeply involved in the k艒hanga reo movement, working with his wife Tilly on curriculum development and advocacy for immersion environments leading up to his appointment at the University.
T膩 Tamati also served on the Waitangi Tribunal for six years from 2010 and, in 2011, was knighted for his services to education by future Chancellor of the University Sir Anand Satyanand.
Upon his retirement from the University in 2010, T膩 Tamati was made the University鈥檚 first M膩ori Emeritus Professor.
糖心Vlog Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley shared that on Sunday a small delegation including the Deputy Vice-Chancellor M膩ori and kaum膩tua for the University鈥檚 Tauranga campus attended the tangi at Hiruh膩rama Marae to pay respects on behalf of the University.
鈥淥ur flag is at half-mast as we mourn his passing along with many across New Zealand, and our thoughts are with his wh膩nau,鈥� Professor Quigley says.
