Te Pāti Māori Mourns The Passing Of The Right Honourable Adrian Paki Rurawhe

E moe e te rangatira.

Te Pāti Māori mourns the passing of The Right Honourable Adrian Paki Rurawhe.

Adrian was a son of Rātana, a uri of Ngāti Apa, a mokopuna of some of our greatest leaders, and a servant of the people who carried himself with humility, grace and mana throughout his life of service.

When Adrian became Speaker of the House, we acknowledged the historic significance of a mokopuna of the Māngai taking one of the highest offices in the land. Te Pāti Māori had never referred to a Speaker as the Māngai, because that title belongs to Rātana.

Reflecting on Adrian’s appointment at the time, Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader Rawiri Waititi said, “I refused to address the Speaker as Māngai because that title belongs to Rātana. How appropriate it was that Adrian would come to sit in that seat.”

“Even those who opposed each other politically respected the way he held that role. There will never be another Speaker like Adrian,” said Rawiri Waititi. “He was and is our Māngai.”

Adrian brought integrity, dignity and a steady hand to the role, earning respect across the political spectrum.

For Te Pāti Māori, and particularly for those of us who are mōrehu and from Te Tai Hauāuru, this loss is deeply personal. Adrian’s political journey began with Te Pāti Māori, and his connection to our movement, to Rātana, and to the people of Te Tai Hauāuru remained throughout his life. While he later found a home elsewhere in politics, he will always be remembered here with affection and respect.

“Above all else, I will remember Adrian for his humility, his deep love and commitment to the whakapono of Rātana, and his unwavering devotion and service, his whānau always surrounded him in his calling,” said Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“As mōrehu, this loss is a deeply personal one. Adrian was a proud uri of Ngāti Apa, a proud mōrehu, and a man who never forgot where he came from. He carried himself with grace, quiet strength and mana. Whether at Rātana Pā, among his whānau, or in Parliament, Adrian was always grounded in service to others and in his love for his people.”

Today we acknowledge his contribution to Te Tai Hauāuru, to Te Ao Māori, and to Aotearoa.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his whānau, the people of Rātana Pā, Ngāti Apa, and all those mourning his loss.

Haere atu rā e te rangatira. Moe mai rā.