In 2010, Reedy became the University of Waikato’s first Māori Emeritus Professor and was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal that same year.
A Waitangi Tribunal hearing at Trinity Wharf Tauranga regarding the future of the wrecked ship Rena. From left: Ron Crosby, Judge Sarah Reeves, Professor Sir Tamati Reedy and Sir Douglas Kidd.
In a Facebook post, Reedy’s family announced his death and upcoming service arrangements for his tangihanga.
Tributes and expressions of grief have also come from the Kiingitanga and Te Pāti Māori among others.
Reedy and wife Kahurangi Tilly Reedy were both Ngāti Porou, and have eight children together. They are both celebrated for their contribution to Māori education and kōhanga reo.
As well as a former rugby representative, Reedy had a deep involvement with the Aotearoa Māori Tennis Association.
In 2007, he and Lady Tilly Reedy donated funds to establish the Ngā Purapura Trust to provide financial assistance to outstanding Māori tennis players.
At the time of his investiture in 2011, Māori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples said Reedy had combined “the strength of a rural Ngāti Porou East Coast background with an outstanding academic career, which he has devoted to the advancement of Māori in education, public administration, iwi development and Māori-Crown relationships.
“Underpinning his glittering career is an incomparable command of te reo and deep insight into tikanga Māori.”