Mourners from across Aotearoa gathered at Tumutumuwhenua wharenui in Ōrākei on Wednesday to pay tribute to Sharon Hawke.
On Tuesday night, her tūpāpaku, wrapped in a woven casket, was returned to her beloved Ōrākei, where whānau, hapū and Ngāti Whātua gathered to farewell her.
Sharon died last Friday while on holiday with her wife, Lope, and close friends in Samoa following a long battle with cancer.
The first ope on Wednesday included Ngāpuhi, Waikato Tainui and many from tertiary institutions from across Tāmaki.
Kaikōrero and veteran broadcaster, Julian Wilcox, acknowledged Hawke’s life’s work, particularly her contribution to Māori media and broadcasting.
“Ka waihangatia ake a Whakaata Māori i tētahi hōtaka ko tōna ingoa ko Native Affairs. Ko tō mātou kaiwhakahaere tuatahi ko Sharon he wahine ū pono i te tino rangatiratanga me te mana motuhake. Ko ngā kaupapa katoa i hāngai ake ki te tuakiri Māori ki te ahurea Māori, ki te reo Māori me ōna tikanga.”
Among mourners was Professor Mākere Mutu, who recalled Sharon’s time as a student at Waipapa Taumata Rau.
She said her sense of justice and resistance carried her through life, as it did for her parents and Ngāti Whātua elders.
“Ko Sharon te tino wahine toa. I te wā i a ia e tai tamariki ana e whawhai ana ia. Tae mai ki te whare wānanga, e akiaki ana ia i a mātou. Me te wero atu kia kaha te tari Māori ki te whawhai i ngā whawhai o Ngāi Tātou te iwi Māori.”
“Engari e mārama ana ōna whakaaro. Pēra anō i ana mātua, i ana tūpuna o kōnei o Ōrākei. Ka roa e miharo ana ki ngā mahi a Sharon me tana mahi mō te pouaka whakaata me ngā mahi kāmera.”
An avid waka paddler, Hawke dedicated her life to waka ama and kaupapa waka, described as one of her biggest passions.
Waka mātanga, Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, acknowledged her efforts, particularly her support for rangatahi.
“I roto i tō mātou ao o te waka ko ia tērā e kaha hāpai ana i ngā kaupapa e tautoko ana i ngā kaupapa i ngā wā kāre ia i te hoe ko tāna he whakatere i ngā poti tautoko ēra mahi katoa.
“Whakarite i ngā momo whakataetae. Nō reira koia rā hoki tētahi āhuatanga ōna. Ko te āta hāpai, āta tautoko i ngā mea rangatahi, taiohi ake kia kite i ngā hua o tēnei mahi.”
In a statement confirming her death last Friday, her whanaunga, Precious Clark, described her as a woman of deep purpose and said anyone who knew her would recognise her as a wahine toa.
“A wahine who stood for our whenua at Takaparawhau, a wahine who built a career in the film industry, a wahine who proudly loved wahine, a wahine who loved being on the moana paddling, a wahine who served her iwi with strength, a wahine who loved fiercely, a wahine who composed waiata and laughed out loud, and a wahine who built long, caring relationships with many communities.”
Hawke is being remembered for her unwavering advocacy for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, particularly her connection to Takaparawhau, as well as her contributions to the arts and film sector, and her deep ties across Māori and Pasifika communities.
The whānau have advised mourners attending her funeral on Friday to dress in the theme “dandyism,” a style of dress and self-presentation defined by elegance, precision tailoring and a strong emphasis on appearance as identity and expression.
Ko te pō ki a koe, e te whāea, ko te ao ki a mātou ka mahue nei. Moe mai rā.
