Te Ranga Tupua, the collective made up of Whanganui, Rangitīkei, Ruapehu and South Taranaki have taken to social media saying Dame Tariana “hasn’t been given much time”.
“We want to reassure you that Dame Tariana Turia is still with us, surrounded by the love and support of her whānau”.
According to the post, the former Minister and founder of Te Pāti Māori suffered from a stroke earlier this week and whānau are asking for understanding, respect and privacy during this time.
Dame Tariana was an MP from 1996 to 2014. She shepherded through Whānau Ora which she described as hugely important to many whānau.
Speaking to the NZ Herald in 2015 she said Whānau Ora is built on a Māori cultural foundation - and most importantly, it is driven by a holistic approach to wellbeing aimed at achieving measurable outcomes.
“Because it is holistic, Whānau Ora includes whanau health, education, housing, income, employment, relationships, and wealth”.
In a 2023 interview with Te Ao Māori News Dame Tariana said she believed more can be accomplished for Māori health under a National led Government. She described the John Key led government as being ‘amazing’.
“They didn’t want to manage us, they wanted to know what we wanted for ourselves” she said
Dame Tariana attended the Toitū Te Tiriti march to Parliament in November last year.
