Today the Auckland community will get a chance to farewell Teina Lee Terei (Te Rarawa, Croatian), the son of New Zealand entertainer Pio Terei. The aspiring young actor passed away on Wednesday, a month shy of his 18th birthday after complications from his battle with Leukemia.
A funeral service for Teina will be held at Henderson Valley School tonight at 7pm before his family return him to his ancestral lands in Mitimiti where he will lie in state at Mātihetihe Marae until the burial on Sunday.
Teina was a Year 13 student at Auckland’s St Peter’s College and is described by one of his Māori teachers as a “vivacious young man who lived life to the fullest.”
Teina had a promising career in the entertainment industry and featured in many productions which include The Billy T James Movie, Shortland Street, Last man standing, My Kinda Kai and Swagger.
Our condolences go out to his father Pio, mother Debbie, brothers Jack and Dalton. Moe mai rā Tenia.