A FOND TRIBUTE TO DAME IRITANA TAWHIWHIRANGI
“The font of knowledge and bearer of the word”
A dark cloud hangs over Mount Hikurangi
And indeed, over the whole of Aotearoa
At the sad loss of Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi.
She played a major role in many great initiatives
For the betterment of her Māori people
Of note being the Kōhanga Reo movement, the Māori Women’s Welfare League and Tū Tangata.
If she had not been such an avid champion
Who could really say
How the Māori language will have fared
And how the Māori people will have fared.
We of Ako Aotearoa are really blessed
To have had her sit on our Te Rūnanga Māori for many years
We were privileged
To be able to hear wise teachings
That would help guide us in our work.
So, it is time to rest, our matriarch
With the knowledge
That your time on this earth was not wasted
Not at all!
And while you have left us physically
The fruits of your labours shall endure
For you were ‘the font of knowledge and bearer of the word’.
Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi | 1929 -2025
Ngāti Porou / Ngāti Kahungunu / Ngāpuhi
Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi was a member of the Ako Aotearoa Māori Caucus / Te Rūnanga Māori from December 2008 - 2023.
Initially nominated by the Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust, She was one of the cornerstones of the Kōhanga Reo movement as a means to revitalize the Māori language.
Picking up on the playcentre philosophy of community ownership and management, Dame Tawhiwhirangi helped create a whānau development model that is not only underpinned by cultural and administrative sovereignty, but has also created new opportunities in education and employment for Māori women, and whānau involvement.
Internationally, the Kōhanga Reo model is now the established benchmark for the regeneration of indigenous languages.
Te Rūnanga Māori members in 2018. Standing L-R: Kelly Pender, Jacqui Poutu, Dr Margaret Taurere, Alexia Tuhi, Ivy Harper, Pohoira Iopata and Dr Joe Te Rito. Seated L-R: Dr Rawiri Taonui (Chair), Dame Dr Iritana Tawhiwhirangi, and Lee Cooper (Deputy Chair). Members not present: Stuart Lawrence, and Teina Mataira