He maimai aroha kia Dr Kihi Ngatai

Ka tangihia, ka tangihia, ka tangihia ngā mate huhua e kauria nei ngā wai tuku kiri o tua whakarere.  Nō reira, e tangi mōteatea, e tangi Apakura nei ki a rātou rā te hunga kua huri ki tua, rātou nei  kua riro atu nei i tō tātou kaihanga.  Ko rātou rā e takoto tīraha nei i runga i ō tatou marae maha, rātou kua ūhia nei ki nga hupe ki nga roimata kua poroporo ake ki a rātou; no reira koutou e nga mate haere atu rā koutou ki te kainga tuturu mo tatou te tangata;  haere atu rā koutou.   

I te ahiahi pō tuatahi o Hereturikōkā, i katohia  a Tākuta Kihi Ngātai (QSM) e tōna putiputi hono a Maria Hokimate Ngatai, i te poho o tō rāua whānau i Te Haumaruru ki Raropua.  Ngai Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pūkenga, Tauranga Moana me ōna karangataha maha; tangi hotuhotu ana mātou o Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi ki tō koutou taonga kua hinga. Nā te mate rātou i whakawehe, mā te mate anō rātou e whakahonohono, e koro, moe mai rā e.

It is with a heavy heart that the whānau of Dr Kihi Ngātai (QSM) announce his passing on the 1st August 2021 surrounded by his whānau at te Haumaruru. He joins his beloved wife, the late Maria Hokimate Ngātai.  Loved and missed deeply by his children Rikihana, Turi, Kihi Jnr, Ngawa and his mokopuna.  Dr Kihi is lying in state at Whareroa marae with his nehu planned for Thursday, 5th August 2021 at 10:00am.

Dr Ngatai and the iwi of Ngai Te Rangi have a strong connection with Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.  As an iwi of Mataatua, they were the first iwi to show their support to Awanuiārangi in the beginning.  Dr Ngatai was always supportive of the wānanga contributions to Mataatua waka and he was given the honour of Honorary Doctor in 2014.  A copy of his citation is below, to share and exemplar his contributions to this wānanga and our wider communities.

Dr Kihi Ngatai – Honorary Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa)

Papaki kau ana nga tai ki Mauao I whakanukunukuhia

I whakanekenekehia I whuia reretia e hotu

A wahinerau ki te wai

Ki taiwiwi, ki taiwawa

Tihei mauri ora

Ki te whaiao ki te ao marama.

Tihei uri uri

Tihei nako nako

Ka tau ka tau ha

Te papa e takoto nei

Ka tu ka tu ha ha te rangi e tu nei

Ka tau ka tau te matuku

Mai i Rarotonga

Koia i ruku hia manawa pou roto

Koia i ruku hia manawa pou waho

Whakatina kia tina

Te more i Hawaiiki

E pupu ana hoki

E wawao ana hoki

Tarewa tu ki te rangi aue kia eke

Eke eke Tangaroa, eke Panuku

Hui e tai ki e.

An Honorary Doctorate is awarded to Kihi Ngātai for exceptional contribution to Māori.

Kihi Ngātai is the son of Tiuka and Parehuia Ngātai, and a descendant of the illustrious Ngāi Te Rangi leader, Taiaho Hori Ngātai. He was brought up firstly by Riiwa Ririnui of Ngāti He and then with Puharangi Ngātai at Matapihi amongst the kaumātua of his iwi of Tauranga Moana. From a young age his grandfather encouraged him to sit behind the tribal elders as a means of absorbing their kōrero and the many issues and challenges they faced. At the outset therefore he was nurtured in an environment of traditional learning, and on the passing of his father this knowledge became a critical cultural anchor stone that would guide his future responsibilities as a custodian of tribal lore.

He attended Tauranga District High School after he had been returned to live with his father and later began working for the Railways, where he would serve for a total of 40 years. Kihi Ngātai subsequently joined the Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery in the 1950s, serving just under three years in the Korean War. He returned to Matapihi as the war was ending and returned to the Railways, as well as tending to the family farm, initially on land at Te Puna provided by the whānau of his wife Maria. On retirement from the Railways, he farmed full-time at Matapihi and grew citrus before developing a kiwifruit and avocado orchard. As an orchardist he was a member of the Bay of Plenty Conservation Board and he promoted New Zealand kiwifruit in Belgium and Malaysia.

A respected kaumātua of Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāti Pukenga descent, Kihi Ngātai is a fluent speaker of te reo Māori and a recognised expert in tikanga Māori. He is passionate about the reinvigoration and revitalisation of Ngāi Te Rangi waiata tawhito and is revered for his deep knowledge of whakapapa, mōteatea and waiata within Tauranga Moana.   He is a conduit of knowledge and sustains the values and unique practices of ngā hapū me ngā uri o Ngāi Te Rangi. He also received a Certificate of Te Arataki Manu Korero from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and has been a judge for Te Reo in the National Māori Media Awards. In recognition of his outstanding skills and expertise as an exponent of the customary arts of whaikorero, waiata and tikanga, he was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal in June 2008, and has served on a number of important district and urgent inquiries. In 2010 he also received a Te Waka Toi-Sir Kingi Ihaka Award in recognition of his contribution to strengthening the continuity of Māori culture through the support of ngā toi Māori.

A founding member and first chairman of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Te Rangi Iwi Trust, Kihi Ngātai has sought to realise the aspirations of the iwi, that all members of Ngāi Te Rangi should be able to enjoy their unique position as tangata whenua of Tauranga Moana. He continues to serve the iwi and hāpu in a variety of roles as a trustee of Mauao Historic Reserve Trust, Matapihi-Ohuki Trust and as a director of various Te Awanui Hukapak companies while maintaining his support for the paetapu of the marae of Tauranga Moana. He remains a longstanding member of the tribal leadership group both through whakapapa and by his lifelong commitment to the unending obligations that such responsibilities entail. Like his tipuna Taiaho Hori Ngātai, he is also recognised as one of the senior leaders within the Mataatua confederation of tribes.

As a dedicated advocate for his iwi, Kihi Ngātai has been pro-active in local body and community activities over many years. He was kaumātua for a number of Tauranga District Council committees including the museum governing board and the kaumātua forum.   He was also kaumātua for Mount Maunganui College, CCS Bay of Plenty, and a member of Koeke Taumata, the national kaumātua council for CCS. He is also kaumātua for the Western Bay of Plenty Police, the Tauranga Police Association, a representative for Tauranga on the National Māori Police Association and a tangäta whenua adviser for the Port of Tauranga. He also supports the Takawaenga Māori Unit and was kaumātua for Tauranga Girls’ College until 2002.

Kihi Ngātai has been married to Maria for 58 years, most of them lived in Matapihi raising five children. He is known to his whānau – which now includes 16 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren – as a hard-working man whose ethics and faith in the Catholic Church, kawa and tikanga are modelled in his day-to-day life. His oft-quoted mantra is: “Work long and work hard and do a great job until you finish it.” In 2006, Kihi and Maria Ngātai received the Queen’s Service Medal for a lifetime of public and community service.

In honour and recognition of distinguished leadership and life-long commitment to Māori development, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi awards to Kihi Ngātai an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) in Māori.

Dated: 11th day of April 2014