Māori rights advocate Cletus Maanu Paul (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Manawa) has died aged 83.
The long-serving member of the New Zealand Māori Council was a negotiator in the historic Māori fisheries claim that led to the 1992 Sealord settlement.
He was raised in Murupara and initially trained as a surveyor before switching to teaching in 1974 at Hamilton Teachers' College. During his first job teaching job at Hamilton Boys High School, he and his students joined the Māori Land March.
Paul worked alongside the former council chair, the late Sir Graham Latimer, and was involved in other claims, including the Wai 262 claim over the recognition and protection of the cultural and intellectual rights of Māori over indigenous flora and fauna.
A mighty tōtara tree has fallen in the forest of Tāne.
A community leader who was passionate about the interests of his iwi, hapū, whānau and te ao Māori, he was also instrumental in establishing the Rangatahi Court at his marae, Wairaka, in Whakatāne, and in 2019 he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori.
He is survived by his wife Gwenda, their four children and many grandchildren.
His tangihanga will be held at Wairaka Marae. The final service will be held tomorrow, Saturday, September 16, at 10:30am.
Speaking toTe Ao Tapatahi today, former NZ Māori council executive director Matthew Tukaki remembers Paul as a whanaunga, a mentor and a man he had great respect for in sharing his knowledge with Tukaki and other Māori across Aotearoa.
"I was just looking at a photo the other day of Maanu Paul in 1975, in the Māori Affairs Select Committee room, the same week as the Māori Language Petition being delivered to Parliament. There he was with his lamb chops, that moustache and that straight black hair. That was an example of not just one work but of the many kaupapa he was involved in.
"Some of the enduring memories for me was that wit, that fast intellect, and not a sharp tongue."
