Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
Ngāti Porou leader, renowned academic and language advocate Tā (Sir) Tamati Reedy has died aged 89.
Tā Tamati was born in Ruatoria in 1936 and of Ngāti Porou descent.
He began his career as a teacher in primary and secondary schools, and later completed a masters degree and a doctorate in linguistics from the University of Hawai’i, specialising in te reo Māori.
Tā Tamati, a Fullbright scholar, was an associate professor at the University of Alabama from 1982 – 83, and was the secretary of the Māori Affairs Department from 1983 to 1989. He held the role during the establishment of the Māori Language Act in 1987 which led to Te Reo becoming an official language.
He was heavily involved in the development of kōhanga reo and Māori immersion education, contributing to the creation of Te Whāriki, New Zealand’s first national early childhood curriculum.
In 1996 he became the founding dean and professor of the School of Māori and Pacific Development at the University of Waikato, and served as the university’s first pro vice-chancellor Māori.
In 2010, Tā Tamati was made an emeritus professor by Waikato University. At the time, the University said Reedy helped create a distinct Māori presence in the institution and strengthened its relationships with Māori, which included staff, students, the community, hapū, and iwi.
The same year he was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal.
Tā Tamati Reedy was knighted in 2011.
Photo: TeAra
Outside of the classroom, Tā Tamati was a talented rugby player, and he represented the Māori All Blacks on their 1960 Pacific tour, and he played provincial rugby for Poverty Bay-East Coast and Thames Valley.
Tā Tamati was knighted for his services to education in 2011.
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