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Whaingaroa kaumatua Nuki Aldridge is being remembered as someone who practiced what he preached in terms of defending and using Maori rights.
Mr Aldridge died early yesterday in his early 80s.
New Zealand First MP Shane Jones says he first encountered Mr Aldridge at Waitangi in the 1990s in his role as secretary of Te Taumata Kaumatua o Ngapuhi.
As a direct descendant of the great Ngapuhi war chief Hongi Hika he was quick to demonstrate to the crown that blood was very much alive, and he didn't shirk from being an advocate of Maori rights.
"I always found he sought to practice what he was politically preaching in terms of keeping our language alive, talking up our heritage and encouraging people to be vigilant so that what remains of our local heritage in each hapu becomes a reality for the next generation," Mr Jones says.
Nuki Aldridge's tangi is at Mangaiti Marae in Kaeo.
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