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Lady Emily Latimer is being remembered as the backbone who enabled her husband Sir Graham Latimer to take the fight for Maori rights to the higher level.
Lady Emily, who would have been 87 today, died at her home in Pamupuria near Kaitaia yesterday.
Former MP Shane Jones says she was the epitome of a hard working, dedicated partner.
He says during Sir Graham’s long tenure as chair of the New Zealand Maori Council, the couple were in the thick of issues such as the retention of Maori seats, the protection of Maori claims from the creation of state owned enterprises, land, fisheries and broadcasting claims.
"There probably is no other single Maori who covered more of the field than Sir Graham did and he was the first person to acknowledge the fact that he had as his backbone Lady Emily so it is right that we acknowledge and celebrate her life and the role that she played in her quiet dutiful way that has led the strengthening of the position of the treaty and the development of many of our iwi initiatives," Mr Jones says.
The funeral service for Lady Emily is at 10am Friday at Te Paatu Marae in Pamupuria.
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