Today, esteemed Māori leader Moana Jackson,
was returned to his people of Ngāti Kahungunu,
to his marae, Matahiwi in Hastings.
As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours.
His death follows the death of sister in law, Dame June Jackson
who was lying in state at her marae,
Ngā Whare Waatea, here in Auckland.
Te Okiwa Mclean is at Matahiwi Marae for the funeral of Moana Jackson
and Muriwai Hei is at Ngā Whare Waater Marae
for the funeral of June Jackson.
But first, let us cross to Te Okiwa Mclean
who was there this morning to see Moana Jackson's tūpāpaku
being carried onto the marae.
Te Okiwa.
That's correct indeed Scotty I am here in Hawkes Bay
at Matahiwi Marae.
At the moment,
an ope has just arrived to pay their respects.
They're from throughout Kahungunu.
Some from Wairarapa, some from the Hawke's Bay.
And I think I see Tame Iti in there as well.
They're all here to farewell him.
But let me say this
since he arrived at 10:30 this morning
there has been a tidal wave of ope who have come to pay their respects
to this gentle giant and intellectual Dr Moana Jackson.
The great Moana, the enduring Moana,
the Moana who fought for truth and justice.
Moana has returned to his people.
We're so proud of what he achieved for the world.
He was returned home by the Tamakaimoana iwi,
as he died in their home town of Te Waimana.
Hatea is like Moana, a man of very few words.
But when I seen them together in Waimana,
I saw how Hatea cared for his dad.
He was a fighter and peace-maker.
He fought against Pakeha law,
knowing only the law can be pitted against the law.
The legacy he leaves behind,
is to hold on to our culture and our ways for our children forever.
Which explains the tsunami of mourners
who came to pay their respects.
Moananui a Kiwa fought against Pakeha.
Why do I say that?
It's because of the racist and derogatory views against Māori.
He has pushed for the recognition of Te Tiriti o Waitangi
and for equal rights here in NZ since forever.
He said,
we need to stand on our own mana wherever we are.
We need to hold fast to our treasures
and knowledge of who we are.
We anticipate that Matahiwi Marae will be flooded with people
coming to say their last goodbyes.
Ka rawe, Te Okiwa.
We will cross back to Te Okiwa soon.
But before that,
another Māori leader and sister-in-law to Moana Jackson
was laid to rest today.
Dame June Jackson was lying in state at her marae in Mangere this week.
For more let's cross live to Muriwai Hei
who is outside Ngā Whare Wātea Marae.
Muriwai, over to you.
Scotty, today is a beautiful day to bury our mareikura,
a Dame June Jackson.
The family and immediate family
have only just arrived back to whakanoa after the burial.
Many from the community
came to pay their final respects to Kahurangi June Jackson today,
and also dignitaries like the Prime Minister
and other members of Parliament who worked closely with her too.
A farewell fit for a Dame.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and other dignitaries
paid their respects to Dame June Jackson
- mother of their colleague, Minister Willie Jackson.
From humble beginnings,
Jackson was a tireless advocate for urban Māori here in Auckland.
And such was the impact she had on the community here,
many turned to bid a final farewell to the Dame.
When one falls, another takes their place.
Muriwai Hei, Te Karere.
That was Muriwai Hei at Dame June Jackson's tangi
at Ngā Whare Watea Marae here in Auckland.
But let's cross back to Matahiwi Marae in Hastings
to Te Okiwa McLean,
who is standing by with a guest
and one of the main orators of Matahiwi Marae.
Te Okiwa, over to you and Tatere.
At this time,
I'm joined by one of the pillars of customs and language in Kahungunu.
Tatere - tena koe.
Kia ora e hoa.
There has been a huge loss in a past weeks.
The passing of Ta Wira, Dame June Jackson
and right here to Dr Moana Jackson.
It's a huge loss for Māoridom isn't it?
Absolutely.
I'm very much feeling for the iwi
that are feeling the pain of lost ones.
But, maybe the positive is that the covid restrictions are lifting,
so maybe it'll be easier
to be able to mourn our loved ones on our marae.
As the restrictions are lifting,
I've heard that also different restrictions
will also be practiced on this marae now.
One such as women being able to speak on this marae.
Please elaborate on this.
This was something that was discussed at length within this hapū
at this marae the other night.
And they concluded that it was an ancient custom
of our female ancestors here.
They want to revive it, it's not a new thing here.
But, it was the hapū of this marae
that agreed to follow Moana's parting wish
to allow women to stand and speak here.
Kiritapu is an example,
she stood today after the hapū agreed.
To my understanding,
he had a few parting wishes for his funeral,
such as there being no christian customs held at his funeral.
Can you explain this further?
Yes, that was one of his wishes.
He wanted his whole time here,
including his burial to follow Māori customs,
Māori incantations and acknowledgement of the Māori gods.
So, it was on us to embody this.
However, god is here still.
But, we are fulfilling his wishes.
Last words, what do you think his parting wishes are for the country?
To be humbled,
I think of Te Wharehuia and of Moana.
They are shimmering above us.
But, the battle lies in the expertise of composing of words.
Despite there being a challenge behind his words,
the way he said them was so peaceful.
He was a true expert at it.
Thank you for that.
We at Te Karere understand
that many expected to arrive in the coming days.
I've heard that the Māori Law Society
are meant to arrive tomorrow morning
and this treasure will be laid in his final resting place on Sunday.
Te Okiwa Mclean and Tatere, thank you for that update.