Ngāti Tūwharetoa are mourning the loss of kaumātua, historian and educator, Te Kanawa Pitiroi, who died on Thursday aged 83.
Educator and historian Te Kanawa Pitiroi passed away recently. Photo: Supplied
Pitiroi was a key speaker for the Central North Island iwi, as well as representative of the Tūwharetoa paramount Sir Tumu Te Heuheu.
He was heavily involved in Māori and iwi initiatives around the Lake Taupō area, as well as a key advocate for Ngāti Tūwharetoa education initiatives.
He was a teacher at Te Kura o Hirangi in Turangi and a Pou Tikanga for the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board.
Pitiroi was sought nationally for his knowledge of oral traditions as well as his work protecting the mana of artefacts, which saw him made a member of the national kōiwi repatriation committee.
In a statement, Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board said Pitiroi will return to Waitetoko Marae on Friday afternoon, where he will lie in state.
"It would be impossible to give a full and complete record of all the things Koro Te Kanwa did for our people," the statement read.
"So we honour him with these simple words. E koro! Kua oti i a koe tāu mahi rangatira ki te iwi. E hoki koe ki ō tūpuna e tatari ana i a koe."
