May 28, 2018
Waitangi a passion for Kingi Taurua
A special kaumatua, an award winning Maori broadcaster and a challenge to manage.
That's former Radio Waatea head Willie Jackson's summary of Kingi Taurua, who died of cancer last week aged 80.
Mr Jackson says he was an exciting and charismatic interviewer with superb facility in te reo Maori.
While a leading figure in Ngapuhi, he was also a champion of urban Maori, always ready to head the paepae at Nga Whare Waatea Marae.
But his biggest stage was at Waitangi, an annual headache for Mr Jackson and station manager Berine O'Donnell.
"Bernie and I always used to say 'we don't want no tricks up at Waitangi because you interview a lot of these politicians and they all know you and if you play up it might not look good for Waatea,' and he would always promise us 'there'll be no problems Willie, it's all good,' and inevitably every Waitangi Day he would be dominating the headlines threatening to bring down the Government and banning John Key, there was always something coming from Waitangi," Mr Jackson says.
The funeral service for Kingi Taurua will be held tomorrow morning at Hiruharama Hou Marae in Te Tii Mangonui north of Kerikeri.
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