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The late Parekura Horomia is being remembered as a man of the people for whom no marae or whānau was too small to visit.
The former Māori Affairs Minister died at his home near Tolaga Bay on Monday afternoon at the age of 62.
Kingitanga spokesman Tukoroirangi Morgan says behind the public image Mr Horomia was an astute politician and a skilled negotiator.
He was also someone who was known to Māori the length and breadth of the country.
“You know whether it’s a tangi, birthday or an unveiling Parekura would always turn up. He would provide the same time not only for rangatira, from the very top to the ariki but all the way down to small whānau. Parekura would be there with a calm sense of organisation and a commitment to do the right thing. I’m going to miss the midnight calls when we both would talk often. We would talk strategies, politics and talk about Māori issues. Kingitanga will miss him, deeply,” Tukoroirangi Morgan says.
Parekura Horomia’s body will be taken onto Hauiti Marae in Tolaga Bay just after nine this morning, with his Labour Party colleagues set to be welcomed on just after noon.
Copyright © 2013, Uma Broadcasting Ltd
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