Ka tangi te ngākau i te hinganga o tētahi pou tokomanawa o te ao Māori. Kua hinga te tōtara haemata o Ngāti Porou, o te ao mātauranga, o te ao kōrero tuku iho, o te ao Māori whānui hoki. 

Kua mene atu a Tā Tamati Reedy ki te pō, ki te kāinga tūturu o te tangata. Kāti rā, kua hoki atu koe ki tō hoa rangatira, ki a Kahurangi Tilly, i wehe atu rā i mua tata ake nei. Kāti pea ngā mamae o te ao, kua hono anō kōrua i raro i te korowai o te Atua. 

He rangatira a Tā Tamati nō ngā ao maha — nō te mātauranga, nō te reo Māori, nō ngā mahi kāwanatanga, nō te whare wānanga, nō te ao hākinakina hoki. He tangata i whakapau kaha mō te oranga tonutanga o te reo Māori me ngā wawata o ngā uri whakatipu. 

Nō te tau 1983 ki te tau 1989 hei Hekeretari o Te Tari Māori, he wāhi nui tā Tā Tāmati i tētahi wāhanga whakahirahira i te whanaketanga a te Iwi Māori, oti rā, i ngā hononga i waenga i te Karauna me te Iwi Māori. Ki te taha o tōna hoa rangatira a Kahurangi Tilly, he nui whakaharahara ōna takoha atu ki te mātauranga kaupapa Māori, te kōhanga reo, te kura kaupapa Māori me te whanaketanga o ngā anga marautanga Māori, tae atu rā hoki ki Te Whāriki. 

He Tohunga Fullbright ia, he wānanga mātauranga, he mema o te kapa ōpango Māori, he kaitākaro hākinakina, he manukura kauanuanu anō hoki. He nui te nanaiore a Tā Tāmati ki te whakapikinga me te whakatutukinga o ngā moemoeā o te Iwi Māori, tōna tuakiri, tōna reo me tōna ahurea Māori. Ka rangona tonutia tōna mana, ōna taonga tuku iho, heke iho, heke iho ki tēnā whakatipuranga, ki tēnā whakatipuranga. 

I te rangi tonu nei, ehara i te mea e mihia noa ihotia ana te matenga o tētahi amorangi taiea, engari ko te hinganga anō hoki o tētahi hoa rangatira, pāpā, koroua, tupuna anō. 

Ka tuku aroha a Te Puni Kōkiri ki te whānau Reedy me te ao whānui e tangi tonu ana mō tēnei  rangatira taumata rau kua riro. 

Moe mai rā e te rangatira. Okioki atu rā i te taha o tō hoa aroha, o Tilly. 

 

 

As Secretary of the Department of Māori Affairs from 1983 to 1989, Tā Tamati played a significant role during an important period in Māori development and Crown–Māori relations. Together with Lady Tilly, he also made an extraordinary contribution to Māori-medium education, kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa Māori and the development of Māori curriculum frameworks, including Te Whāriki. 

A Fulbright Scholar, academic, Māori All Black, sportsman and respected leader, Tā Tamati dedicated his life to the advancement of Māori aspirations, identity, language and culture. His influence and legacy will continue to be felt across generations. 

We acknowledge not only the passing of a distinguished leader, but also the passing of a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. 

Te Puni Kōkiri wishes to extend condolences to the Reedy whānau, Ngāti Porou, and all those mourning the loss of this remarkable rangatira. 

Moe mai rā e te rangatira. Okioki atu rā i te taha o tō hoa aroha, o Tilly.