The late paramount chief of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ariki Tā Tumu Te Heuheu Tūkino VIII, is being remembered this week for his lifelong dedication to advancing Māori education and wellbeing.
Leaders, educators, and students gathered under the mantle of Te Toi Tauira mō te Matariki at Unitec’s Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae in Auckland to reflect on Tā Tumu’s enduring contribution to mātauranga Māori and the many educational pathways he helped shape for future generations.
Unitec education advisor and advocate Hare Paniora, reflecting on the depth of Tā Tumu’s influence and leadership, “Tū ka korikori, tū ka mahuta, tū ka haere, tū ka whakangaro, waiho mā te iwi whānui o te motu, ka tae tinana atu ki te tukua atu a rātou nei mihi aroha, tangi, roimata hupe ki a koe, kia tatari tonu tērā, ka tirohia mai ki a koe i waenga nui i ngā mātua ngā tīpuna. Nā reira moe mai, moe mai kaati ka tau,” hei tā Paniora.
Manukau Institute of Technology’s Director of Māori Education, Dr. Wiremu Manaia, described Sir Tumu as a leader whose presence was felt across every educational gathering.
“Koia he rangatira o ngā rangatira. I haramai ia ki ētahi o wēnei, ēnei kaupapa, ēnei hui i ngā wā o mua,” hei tā Manaia.
Manaia said Sir Tumu stood as a role model for Māori leadership, “I ngā mahi i mahia, koia te rangatira mō te mātauranga o te iwi Māori, mō te whakapakari hauora o te iwi Māori,” hei tā Manaia.
Sir Tumu supported scholarship programmes for rangatahi, encouraging young people to pursue tertiary studies while grounding them in whakapapa and tikanga.
He also backed iwi-led tertiary institutions such as Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi and Te Wānanga o Raukawa, believing Māori education must serve both cultural survival and academic excellence.
Sir Tumu’s leadership also reached the global stage. In 2006, he became the first New Zealander to chair the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, where he emphasised the role of indigenous knowledge in sustaining culture and environment.
He often cited Tongariro National Park, gifted to the Crown by his ancestor, Horonuku Te Heuheu, in 1887, as a living classroom that teaches guardianship and identity.
Paniora echoed this, “kaha kē ia ki te haere ki te manaaki i ā tātou nei tamariki. Ko tētahi mea ki au mahara ana ki a ia mō te tuku whenua nē, o Tongariro nē e hāngai ana ki te maunga rā. Me te aroha anō karekau i te tutuki tērā kaupapa. Mena ka waiho tērā, tārewa tonu ana tērā ka waiho ki ngā rangatahi tonu, a rātou i muri ake. He tangata kaha ki te manaaki i tana iwi, ahakoa ko wai, he tangata tino kaha ki te manaaki i a tātou rangatahi, a tātou tamariki,” hei tā Paniora.
