Wira Gardiner

Te Whānau ā Apanui is today saying its farewells to Tā Wira Gardiner, who was living among his people in Te Kaha before his death yesterday at the age of 78 ...

“Uncle was a sticker to the kaupapa of Te Whānau ā Apanui. There will only be 35 people. They will be on a list that goes to the Te Kaha Health Clinic. People will have to have the RAT test there. Te Whānau ā Apanui is today saying its farewells to Tā Wira Gardiner, who was living among his people in Te Kaha before his death yesterday at the age of 78.

Decorated Māori leader and dedicated public servant Sir Wira Gardiner has died, aged 78. A descendant of Ngāti Awa, Te Whakatōhea, Whānau-a-Apanui and Ngāti ...

“Tā Wira was exceptional because he led from the front in all he did. You can make a contribution from as little as $1. Be part of our story and help us tell yours. Even a chief executive can humble themselves and learn new things.” “He motuhake a Tā Wira i te mea ko ia tērā e kōkiri whakamua ana ahakoa te uaua, te māmā rānei o te kaupapa. As head of the ministry, Gardiner copped personal attacks and, when he left, said he’d been stood up for “personal vilification and abuse”. From the battlefield, to the boardroom, to the paepae. “Nā āna mahi i whakaatu mai ia, ahakoa te pakeke o te tangata mēnā e ngākau titikaha ana te tangata ka mau i a ia tō tātou reo. Ka rongo te motu katoa i te mamae i te mea mahue mai i a ia he whakareretanga i huri ai te pāpori o Aotearoa,” hei tā Ngahiwi Apanui, tumu whakahaere o Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. In his career, that fluency led him to become chairman of Te Māngai Pāho and work in governance roles with wānanga. He was a lieutenant when deployed to Vietnam, and stayed with the defence force until 1983. “He told me, ‘The organisation is stuffed.’ That was him, no nonsense, and this was exactly what I needed to hear,” Davis said. Outside of Government, Gardiner was an author and historian.

Tā Wira died in his home in Tairāwhiti on Thursday after battling a lengthy illness. He was the founding director of the Waitangi Tribunal and the founding ...

I had a very high level of respect for him." "In a period when we were really, the world was changing quite dramatically... "He had a desire for doing things. "His love for literature comes as no surprise. "I would like to think that Te Puni Kokiri was moulded in his image. "Sir Wira has held numerous positions throughout many governments from across the political spectrum.

Watch: Tributes flow as people remember Māori leader Sir Wira Gardiner. Credits: Newshub. Te Whānau-a-Apanui farewelled Sir Wira Gardiner on Friday as he took ...

The founding director of the Waitangi Tribunal has died in Gisborne.

"He was so influential and the number one Māori public service in our history. We are proud to call you our own and now it is time to rest," Waititi wrote on Facebook. He was raised by te reo speaking parents in Rotoiti but did not learn the language until aged in his 40s. I never had writer's block or moments of doubt and my pen just kept flowing, well metaphorically," Gardiner said at the time. You were proud to know that Te Whānau a Apanui was sitting in parliament and representing our people. "He was the fix it man and it didn't matter if was Labour, National or Māori Party. Wira would help." "A Vietnam Veteran who never forgot his less fortunate mates. You have left a huge legacy, one that would probably be unmatched. The author of seven books spanning a range of topics including haka, the Māori Battalion and political biography, he was made a Knight of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009 for his contribution and services to Māori. Gardiner had served in the army and went on to hold several leadership roles as a public servant, including a founding director of the Waitangi Tribunal, founding head of the Iwi Transition Agency and founding CEO of Te Puni Kōkiri, the Ministry of Māori Development. He described Gardiner as a change agent, a servant of the people and someone who made a real difference in Te Ao Maori and Te Ao Pakeha. He was a man of standing, who was always a gentleman."

Having served 20 years in the Army, Sir Wira was then a founding director of the Waitangi Tribunal, and the first Chief Executive of the Ministry of Māori ...