Taurahere Groups

Tauranga Moana Hohepaturanga Joe Briggs

On 16 October 2022, a maumahara was held in the Aronui Wharenui at Tauranga Boys for our loved kaumatua, Hohepaturanga Briggs, fondly known to all as Uncle Joe. It was a time to comfort each other, laugh, cry, and share our memories. It was also an opportunity to share our history with Andrew Turner, the new principal of Tauranga Boys who came to be a part of this important day. The words written below by our whānau capture Uncle Joe perfectly:

We will always honour and remember our Ngāi Tahu kaumātua Hohepaturanga

'Uncle Joe’ Briggs as the man

• with a heart for his whānau, hapori, hapū, and iwi

• with a plan

• with unlimited amounts of kiwifruit, avocados, and a crockpot filled with soup

• with a list of tasks and a "knack" for delegation of those tasks

• with big ideas who made them happen

• who would say, “I’ll just ring down South for that”

• who never let anyone go through the back door

• who coined the phrase, ‘white man’s magic’ (and we all knew what he meant)

• with a knack for voicing his thoughts using colourful expletives

• who championed Ngāi Tahu for the whānau in Tauranga Moana

• who welcomed with open arms, all Ngāi Tahu whānau to be part of our rōpū, enabling us to connect to our Ngāi Tahutanga.

Being a man with a plan he left a 'to-do list'. His final instructions –to continue to build what he started for us, for our tamariki and mokopuna.

He encompassed our Ngāi Tahu whakatauākī and we will always love and miss him.

Ngāi Tahu ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara Taura Here Rōpū

Te Whanganui-a-Tara taurahere rōpū will plan to hold up to four hui in 2023. Watch the Facebook page for updates of time and place. If you want to get an email for updates, please send name and email address to Tewhanganuiatara.taurahere@ngaitahu.iwi.nz

See you in 2023!

Ngā mihi – Karen