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For New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, the death of Ranginui Walker means the end not just of a well lived and meaningful life but of a long family friendship.
Dr Walker was taken this morning on to Orakei Marae, where his tangi will run until Friday.
Mr Peters says he did a great deal to open people’s eyes to the way Maori had not been treated fairly.
He has known Dr Walker since the 1950s when the then local primary school teacher acquired a bach at Whananaki in a handshake deal with his father.
"Rangi used to take us fishing and things like that, and he was also a very good fisherman, good diver, and when Rangi got fish, everybody got fish. My father, if he were alive, would be sad because Rangi showed a serious respect for an older Maori in a Maori setting of which we don't see as much today as we should," Mr Peters says.
FULL INTERVIEW: WINSTON PETERS
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