Paniona ran the karaoke at the tavern during Woods’ younger years and whenever she saw him outside Countdown, now Woolworths, he would try to get her to sing a song with him.
“He was just honestly the brightest light,” she said.
Generous, humble and kind, Paniona made sure to give back to others, she said.
“It’s like he’s just the heart of our community.”
Woods believed people would think of him often when heading into the supermarket or walking past Rascals Cafe on Rathbone St.
“It’s going to be noticed,” she said of his loss.
Tikipunga Market organiser Lynne Phillips described Paniona as a “beautiful soul”.
During the four years she ran the markets, Paniona was a steady presence.
If he didn’t attend, she would know something was wrong.
Armed with his scooter and guitar, Phillips said Paniona would chat to anyone.
“He was just… like a presence, and not just his music. He would sit or stand there and just yap to anybody.
“He was definitely an icon.”
“All the things that happened to him… he never deserved them,” she said.
In 2023, Paniona made headlines as the victim of a hit-and-run while riding his mobility scooter home on Cairnfield Rd.
Paniona was hospitalised with a broken leg, broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
At the time, brother Nathan Paniona described Mr T as a humble person.
Mr T was the only one of seven siblings who continued to sing after a shared career in the band Southbound years before.
The money Mr T got from busking was always offered to charity, his brother told the Northern Advocate.
“He’s good-natured like that.”
A Givealittle page set up after the crash meant Paniona was gifted a new scooter.
He was back on the streets strumming his guitar in no time.
But about two years later, he was hit again, this time at a pedestrian crossing near Whangārei Hospital.
Te Wairongoa Paniona, affectionately known by many in Whangārei as “Mr T”, was gifted a new mobility scooter last year after he was hit by a vehicle a second time. Photo / Brodie Stone
Though not injured, Paniona’s mobility scooter was damaged beyond use.
He was gifted a new $10,000 scooter. Paniona told the Northern Advocate at the time that it was a blessing and would allow him to keep singing.
“I’ll never give it up,” Paniona said.
Musician Maggie Cocco paid tribute to Paniona on Facebook, saying the memory of how she first met him was one of her favourite stories of her life so far in Whangārei.
Whangārei busker Mr T is being remembered as a “beautiful soul” who was always smiling. Photo / NZME
He’d left a message for the “girl with the beautiful voice” to call a certain number, which turned out to be a local karaoke competition.
She entered the competition.
“And when I walked into the competition that night, there you were, waiting with that big, toothy grin of yours,” Cocco said.
“And just like that, you welcomed me into the first of many great bear hugs.”
Paniona was “one of a kind”, she said.
“A character who became synonymous with Whangārei. Someone who knew all, loved all, and always had time for those around you.”
Despite a rushed last meeting, she was grateful for one last bear hug.
“May it, and your beautiful legacy, sustain us until we’re singing together again at that great gig in the sky.”
Nearly 300 comments filled the Haven Falls Funeral Home Facebook notice, testament to the impact Paniona had on the community.
People described him as the “kindest man” with the “biggest heart”.
The Northern Advocate approached the Paniona family, who preferred not to comment but were happy for others’ tributes to be shared.
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.