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Te Ao Maori is focused on a bend in the road south of Kaitaia today, as the tribes and make their way to the tangi for Sir Graham Latimer.
Te Paatu Marae is expecting a steady stream of manuhiri, including members of the New Zealand Maori Council and one of the key lawyers for the Maori Council's epic court battles of the 1980s, now Chief Justice Sian Elias.
Former MP Shane Jones, who worked closely with the New Zealand Maori Council chair on kaupapa such as the Maori fisheries settlement, says such occasions are an important part of the way Maoridom holds together
"Yeah I think it comes with part of the broader obligations that you take on board when you want to fulfill a role of leadership in te ao Maori. Those who have made a contribution as they pass on. In this way we keep both our heritage and I suppose our identity alive," says Shane Jones.
The tangi will continue until Saturday, when the funeral service will be held at 10am.
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