National Party leader Simon Bridges paid tribute to his late distant relative, former Minister of Māori Affairs Koro Tainui Wētere, who died on Saturday, aged 83.
Mr Wētere died at Te Kuiti Hospital in the King Country with family in attendance.
He was a member of Ngāti Maniapoto and served as an MP between 1969 and 1996 for the Western Māori electorate. He became Minister of Māori Affairs in 1984 when Labour won the election. In 1990 he refused to translate his speeches given to parliament in Māori into English - one of many steps he took during his career to push the use of Māori language in public.
Mr Wētere was Mr Bridges' father's cousin, he said on TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning.
"Growing up for me, whenever he was on television in the 80s, formative years for me", Mr Bridges said he feel proud.
"He was our relative. He showed, people like me could be a Member of Parliament."
"I think he's got a significant legacy, he was an important Māori minister, the most important in the 80s."
SHARE ME