Aue he aitua! Aue te mamae, te aroha! Kua hinga mai to tatou whaea a Tui Tenari.
Ahakoa te tangi o tau whanau, e te Whaea, ka titiro matou ki tou maunga ko Pihanga-Tohora, ki tou moana ko Hokianga Whakapau Karakia, ki ou hapu, iwi katoa. Takahia ai i te ara i whakaritea ai e ou matua, e ou tupuna.
No reira, ko koe ra, e te Whaea, te kaipupuri o te kaupapa o Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau, nau nga mokopuna katoa i manaakitia, nau matou Te Roopu Taurima i arahina. Nau te korero i whakakikohia, rangatiratanga mo tatou katoa i runga i nga tikanga o tena, o tena, o tena. No reira, e te Whaea, e Tui, haere, haere, haere atu ra. Ka hoki ki a tatou te hunga ora, ki a koutou e te Whanau a Tui, tena ano koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa.
After a short illness, Mrs Tui Tenari, ONZM, passed away at Middlemore Hospital in the presence of her whanau.
Tui was Chief Executive Officer/Mana Whakahaere of Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. At one time she was principal nurse at Mangere Hospital, which later became Spectrum Care Trust. Together with a number of people, she canvassed whanau throughout Aotearoa, and resolved to set up a kaupapa Maori service for people with intellectual disabilities. This was accomplished in 1999.
Many people came to know her, from politicians, government services, health providers, Maori services, Pacific Peoples’ services, education institutions, wananga, clergy and boards’ of trustees. At one time she was president of the National Maori Nurses Council. Many people were grateful for what she did for them and the several ways she showed her support and manaaki.
We admired her passion for the kaupapa of Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau, and her love and caring for all mokopuna and their whanau, hapu, iwi. We grew to cherish her and the beautiful relationships she nurtured with everyone. She was recognised by many organisations and Tui received the New Zealand Order of Merit as a formal recognition.
She was a battler to the end and we bid her farewell as a leader, a person we looked up to, a trusted colleague, a loyal friend, a busy mentor and a formidable supporter.
