The late Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Tarsh Kemp was laid to rest at her marae, Ōpaea in Taihape, today, as hundreds gathered to honour a woman described as a powerhouse of love, leadership, and service to her people.
Kemp, who passed away last week, was remembered for her commitment to uplifting rangatahi, championing Māori communities, and leaving her mark on Tāmaki Makaurau and beyond.
Since her death, Kemp was taken to Hoani Waititi Marae in West Auckland over the weekend before making her journey down to Ōpaea in the central plateau.
The haukāinga spoke modestly of their small marae, but the community effort was evident. Whether it was marquees being delivered and erected, the multitudes of generators, the fire pits blazing, or the kai being cooked across the three marae in the area, the community showed up for her, just as Takutai had always shown up to serve them.
As whānau, friends, political leaders, and community members packed the marae grounds, Kemp’s legacy was remembered.
“How do you put into words the life of someone who is so full of love, leadership, and light?” her cousins, Krissy Piere Collins and Ngaire Anne Heke, told the service.
“We thought the best way to honour Tarsh was to talk about where she came from. The powerful lineage of wāhine toa in our whānau who helped shape her into the incredible woman she became.”
Her whānau spoke of how Kemp carried that legacy with pride, transforming it into a life of leadership and service.
“Tarsh took that legacy and ran with it. She was a powerhouse, a born leader.
“She gave herself fully to the things she believed in, whether that was health, working with our rangatahi, uplifting our hip-hop dance community, or leading as the CEO of Manurewa Marae. And of course she made history in our whānau by becoming a member of Parliament for Te Pāti Māori,” they added.
From the political stage to the dance floor, Kemp’s heart for her people, especially young people, was evident to all who knew her.
“Ko te rangatahi te hao ngākau. Rangatahi captured her heart,” said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi.
“It can be seen in her hip-hop work, it’s seen in her work as an official for Manurewa Marae. We’ve seen in her life feeding the multitudes, also feeding thousands in a single day. That’s where her love was with her people.”
For her son, Te Manea Kauika-Quinlan, the past few days have laid bare just how far his mother’s love and influence reached.
“These past few days, I’ve only just realised the magnitude of how many hearts she’s actually touched,” he told those gathered.
As the service ended, she was carried out from the mahau of Tūmakaurangi and made her final trek down to the urupā just behind the marae where she now lies nestled within the surrounding whenua of Mōkai Pātea.
E te rangatira, e te māreikura, Takutai Moana ‘Tarsh’ Kemp, moe mai rā.
