In 2012 Kennedy was given an honorary doctorate by Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya University in India in recognition of his work preserving and maintaining Māori culture.
He was kaumātua for the New Zealand Māori Council, was on the Kaumātua Council of the Labour Party and was a member of Te Arawa Fisheries Group and Te Kotahitanga o Te Arawa Fisheries Trust.
He was also kaumātua for schools, including Rotorua Girls’ High School and Ōtonga Primary School.
Kennedy was educated at Whangamarino School and Rotorua Boys’ High School.
His mother died when he was 4, and he was raised by his grandmother until he was 17.
Dr Ken Kennedy in 2020. Photo / Kelly Makiha
He wasn’t born a te reo Māori speaker and grew up in a time when his language was banned. He could sense his grandmother’s anguish over this and he spoke publicly about this being a catalyst for his drive for change in his later years.
He enrolled at Waiariki Institute of Technology and was awarded a Certificate and Diploma in Māori Studies, followed by a Degree of Māori Studies from Auckland University of Technology.
Kennedy returned to Waiariki Institute of Technology under Borren’s leadership.
Borren told the Rotorua Daily Post Kennedy was his “right arm”.
“I regard Keneti as an amazing iwi leader.”
Borren said Kennedy had a “massive influence” on Waiariki Institute of Technology – now known as Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.
Kaumātua Dr Ken Kennedy. Photo / Stephen Parker
Borren said Kennedy was kaumātua of Waiariki when he was appointed in 2006 and the first thing he did was shift Kennedy from the Māori department prefab to an office next to his.
“Waiariki’s vision was to be uniquely bicultural. To achieve that, I needed someone at my level – equal in the leadership structure. That person was Keneti.”
He said together they grew the institute, student numbers tripled, and Māori student numbers quadrupled – the latter, he said, was mostly due to Kennedy.
“He opened doors. He gave me mana. And we both sang from the same song sheet: biculturalism.”
Borren, who recently returned to his chief executive role, said he re-employed Kennedy as his adviser in the office next to his.
“He was so happy to be back.”
Ken Kennedy in 2017.
On Thursday last week, Kennedy opened and closed Borren’s all-staff hui and executive meeting in the afternoon.
That evening the two attended a drinks function and then went to dinner at Indian Star on Eat Streat with other returned staff members.
“Keneti was his normal, relaxed and happy self. On reflection, it is fitting that Keneti’s last meal was Indian food and that his last beer was a Kingfisher because it was the indigenous people of India, the most populated country in the world, who bestowed on Keneti an honour that was so deserved.”
Former Waiariki MP Tāmati Coffey said Kennedy was the pou tuara [cultural leader] for his political campaign in 2017, which saw the Waiariki seat turn red for Labour.
“Ken was a big part of making that happen. He walked with me as my guide on my political journey as my not-so-secret political adviser.”
Dr Ken Kennedy was a loyal supporter of Tāmati Coffey during his political career. Photo / Supplied
Coffey said Kennedy should have been a politician.
“He had all the traits as a true man of the people, who never forgot where he came from. The people continually chose him to be their mangai [spokesperson] and that is the mana of a rangatira.”
Lawyer and iwi advocate Annette Sykes said Kennedy was of Ngāti Pikiao descent but, like many of Te Arawa, drew descent to all hapū and iwi.
She said he used his political voice to advance the interests of working people and his passion for the trade union movement.
She said he organised rallies against the denial of pay equity for nurses and teachers and would “travel miles” to help colleagues in the education sector.
She said he was revered for the fact he grew up not speaking Māori but became one of its most astute advocates.
She said he developed groundbreaking courses that saw people from all walks of life attending night classes, weekend wananga and tailor-made courses. He said that allowed “language trauma” to be confronted for Māori who were denied their culture and language.
“I have seen him spend time patiently with people from all walks of life to learn at his feet. Judges of the mainstream courts, lifers released from prison, solo mothers leaving violent relationships, right through to community leaders who were too embarrassed to admit that te reo Māori was something not in their kete matauranga.
“He was an eclectic leader of our time.”
They last met at a Te Kotahitanga o Te Arawa Fisheries meeting last week, where they were writing a submission on the Fisheries Bill and challenging the present coalition’s policies.
“With a twinkle in his eye, he told me to fight the fight and forget the photographic tabloids on social media platforms because working for our people was always something expected but not a commitment that would see us monetarily compensated. The richness we would derive would be the memories we would leave for others to be inspired by.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with former Whakatāne mayor Tony Boone (left), Waiariki MP Tāmati Coffey, and Dr Ken Kennedy. Photo / Katee Shanks
Labour List MP Willie Jackson said Kennedy was a loyal and strong advocate for Māori and Labour.
“I admired how staunch he was to us, despite the Māori party dominance in Waiariki over the last six years; Ken never wavered with his support.”
He said Labour was lucky to have him as a leading kaumātua.
“He never let us down when we needed support at hui and major functions. On behalf of our Māori Caucus, our leader Chris Hipkins and the wider Labour membership, I want to thank his family and Te Arawa iwi for his involvement and great support of the Labour Party.”
Kennedy is survived by his partner Rangimahuta Wiringi-Easthope, eight children and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.