Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said the news of MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp’s death this morning was “devastating” — especially as she was active in Parliament only yesterday.
Kemp, who represented the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate, died in Auckland in the early hours of Thursday morning.
She was elected to Parliament at the 2023 election and took leave from Parliament for six weeks last year to focus on healing from kidney disease.
Speaking to 1News this afternoon, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said the news was “devastating”, especially because Kemp was in Parliament yesterday.
“She carried a very strong sense of justice, a very strong sense of faith and hope for our people, and you could see that exude out of Tash in the way she did her mahi.”
Waititi said Kemp was often the “calm in the storm” of the Te Pāti Māori caucus who stayed the course for what she believed in.
“Politics can be very, very tumultuous career, and we’ve got six MPs, and sometimes that could be a storm in a teacup, but Tash brought the calm.
“She was never going to allow this illness to define her. Tash, right to the bitter end, died as she lived, serving our people.”
Te Pāti Māori MPs would be travelling to Auckland today to be with Kemp and her whānau, Waititi said.
Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere said Kemp’s resolve to stand with the party carried through into the final hours of her life.
“Yesterday she flew back from Parliament after representing our people and communing with fellow Te Pāti Māori MPs.
“She then spent an hour and a half being briefed on matters involving her electorate and continued to post until later in the evening. She then went to bed and, as is the norm with home-based dialysis treatment, connected herself to her machine. Somewhere in the early hours of the morning she passed away in her sleep.”
In a post to social media, Te Pāti Māori MPs said they were “heartbroken” by Kemp’s death and confirmed their “sister” had died “in the early hours of this morning”.
“Takutai devoted every breath to the movement for Māori liberation. Even as serious illness weighed on her, she continued to stand in the House, in our homes, on our marae and in our communities; relentlessly championing the rights and wellbeing of our people.”
Kemp to lay in state
Kemp’s body is laying in state before returning to Ōpaea Marae in Taihape on Saturday morning, the marae said this afternoon in a social media post.
“Thank you all for your love and messages. Ngā mihi.”
Tipene Funerals said on social media today that the MP will lay in state at its Onehunga branch before heading to Hoani Waititi Marae tomorrow morning.
“It is with great sadness that we mourn the sudden loss of our beloved mother, nana, sister, daughter, aunty, and friend. Takutai spent most of her years giving to others. It is now her time to rest and our time to give back to her, by celebrating her life in the days ahead,” Kemp’s whānau said in a statement through the funeral home.
“We, the whānau, kindly ask for privacy this evening to spend time with our immediate whānau and her Māori Party members only.”
Kemp’s body will arrive at Hoani Waititi Marae at 8am tomorrow, where she will lay in state “for all to come and mourn with us”.
Her body will then be transferred to Ōpaea Marae to lie in state.
A funeral service will be held at 11am on Tuesday, July 1 at Ōpaea Marae, followed by a burial service.
Party leaders pay tribute
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a statement he was saddened to hear of Kemp’s passing.
“On behalf of the Government, our thoughts are with her whānau, friends, colleagues, and the Tāmaki Makaurau community,”
In a post to X, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said: “It is with a heavy heart, we acknowledge the sudden passing of our colleague and friend Takutai Tarsh Kemp.
“Our thoughts are with her whānau and our colleagues of Te Pāti Māori at this sad time. Nō reira okioki mai na koe e te tuahine, e te hoa,” he wrote.
Deputy Prime Minister and ACT Party leader David Seymour also acknowledged her death in a post online.
“She is gone far too soon and our thoughts are with her whānau and Te Pāti Māori colleagues. Farewell, and may you rest in peace,” he said.
NZ First Party leader Winston Peters also paid tribute to her on Facebook, posting: “Our thoughts and prayers are with her whānau, family, and friends at this very difficult time.”
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said a “great tōtara” had passed on.
“Our beloved friend stood as strong as she did with humility for te iwi Māori. This can and will never be forgotten by all of us.
“The Green Party sends love to Takutai’s whānau, and our extended whānau of Te Pāti Māori.”
NZ Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaff also sent the organisation’s love and condolences. Kemp was Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for employment and worker rights.
“We are heartbroken for Takutai’s whānau, hapū and iwi, for the people of Tāmaki Makaurau, and for Te Pāti Māori at this sad time,” Wagstaff said. “Takutai was a leader who had so much more to give, and will be missed dearly.”
‘A sad, sad day’: Labour MPs remember Kemp
A group of Labour MPs stood in front of media this morning to pay tribute to the Te Pāti Māori MP.
Labour List MP Peeni Henare — who previously held the Māori electorate covering central and southern Auckland, and southern parts of western Auckland — said it was with “a really heavy heart and great sadness” that he acknowledged the passing of his good friend and colleague.
“To hear this news is… it’s truly shocking. When you when you campaign together, when you work in a community together, you become more than colleagues. She called me brother, and I called her sister.”
Labour List MP Willie Jackson said Kemp was a “leader in her own right” before she came into politics.
“Politics is a funny game. There’s a lot of controversy out south there, but we all had a special relationship, believe it or not. You know, those relationships, no matter what the results and elections, stay strong. It’s just a sad, sad day.”
Manurewa MP Arena Williams recalled meeting Kemp for the first time when she was 21 years old and Kemp was leading a dance group for rangatahi.
“Many of them went on to great success, to Paris Goebbel’s group. She managed to lead this group of young people onto great things.”
Williams said Kemp “always had an open door” for young people and many South Aucklanders would feel the loss.
