He maimai aroha: Dame Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi

Nei te ia tai aroha e kōmanawa ana ki te Kahurangi kua wehe atu nei. E te māreikura, e te Kahurangi e Iritana, moe mai rā.

Mātauranga Iwi Leaders Group mourn the passing of Dame Iritana alongside the motu and the thousands of whānau and kaupapa who continue her intergenerational legacy of aroha and commitment to nurturing tamariki mokopuna in te reo & te ao Māori.

Whāea Iritana was one of the leaders of the Kōhanga Reo movement, aligning communities and networks throughout Aotearoa to put in place the foundation for full immersion care for kōhungahunga, based on the principles of a whānau style of being which materialised in April 1982 in Wainuiōmata and the opening of Puketapu Kōhanga Reo. This was the beginning of the 40+ years movement to cultivate a Māori way of educating tamariki Māori in the modern day.

E tāheke ana te puna mihi, e kore rawa e mimiti, mōu e te Kahurangi.