He was a keeper of vast knowledge of the Māori world and he was held in high esteem amongst all tribes. Today, the people of Hokianga spoke of the great loss of Pā Henare Tate.
Moka Puru says, "He was a very strong leader at bringing Māori from different faiths and denominations because of his belief that there is one God."
Jeremy Hema, Ngati Te Maara, Ngati Tamatea says, "He was our comedian and used the language of the people of Panguru and his usage of words rarely used today like "saaka marika" spoken with the consonant "s" in them. Like "posese" and "koisarerewera". All those words that were nearly lost to this generation but used by our ancestor and much significance to our dialect he maintained that language so that we will not lose it."
Hema says, "Tomorrow we'll be looking for him and then we won't and it's then that we will feel the great cutting pain of his loss."
Puru says, "We will never forget your teachings and your growlings and your prayers all of those things. We will never forget you."