October 18, 2017
Ngai Tahu farewells consensus leader
Ngai Tahu is farewelling its Otakou upoko Kuao Langsbury, one of the tribe's A team in settlement negotiations.
Mr Langsbury, who died on Saturday at the age of 81, was first elected chair of the Otakou Runanga aged 25.
He farmed, sheared, drove taxis, managed the southern region of a national photographic studio and at his retirement was heading the Arai Te Uru Kokiri Centre, a Dunedin private training institute.
He served for 17 years on Ngai Tahu Maori Trust Board, chairing its finance, property, fishing, and holding companies.
Mr Langsbury was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2003.
In a 2016 interview, Mr Langsbury said he learned the value of collective decision-making from an early age and developed a consensus style of leadership.
The nehu was today at Otakau Marae where he sat on the paepae for more than half a century.
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