This week, the Church is so much poorer for the loss of two extraordinarily selfless, deeply committed, hard-working lay servant leaders, Huia Tahere and Margaret Bedggood.

Two truly remarkable women, both mothers, aunties, grandmothers, and very dearly loved friends of so many.

Over many years, my life has been immeasurably enriched by both of them. 

Margaret’s CV attests to her long and illustrious professional career – Chief Human Rights Commissioner, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Waikato University, Faculty member at Otago, visiting lecturer at Oxford University, leader within Amnesty International, and founding member of the Aotearoa Peace and Conflict Studies Trust, which established Te Ao o Rongomaraeroa at Otakou Whakaihu Waka.

Throughout her life, Margaret remained deeply faithful to the Church, finding significant spiritual solace and inspiration in her Third Order Franciscan Community. I was blessed to know Margaret from the earliest days of my leadership journey in the Church. Her feisty, fearless yet always pragmatic advice and guidance were invaluable on many occasions, especially when patriarchal petulance in defiance of women’s leadership was in full flight!

Hers was such understated yet immensely influential leadership – intellectually, spiritually and politically, infused with integrity, moral courage and deep, abiding generosity.

I remain indebted to this consummate gentle woman of God for the gift of friendship, indeed of sisterhood, ever encouraging, ever enabling, ever loving.

No reira e te tuakana, toku tuahine, kua oti au mahi pai I konei I tea o. Haere aianei ki nga ringa atawahai a to tatou Matua nui I te Rangi. E kore rawe koe e warewaretia.

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Huia Tarere's CV attests to her deeply grounded, lifelong involvement in marae and community-based church programmes – in Te Hui Amorangi o Tai Rawhiti for many years, where she was a constant, supportive presence alongside the late Archbishop Brown Turei, and more recently in Te Hui Amorangi o Te Waipounamu – as head administrator, Kaitiaki at Te Waipounamu Girls College, and Kaihautu for Te Takawai. 

Humble, utterly dependable, omnipresent, the hui leader you know you can depend on to always show up, prepared and committed. The leader who, for every hui, is
meticulous in ensuring absolute attention to detail in preparation; who is always reliably visible and alongside during hui, making sure resources are available, hospitality is abundant, and measurable progress is enabled.

The leader who forever stays the course, ensures the kaupapa is achieved, and is usually the last one out the door after the marae has been restored and readied for the next manuhiri.

While Huia’s leadership will be remembered as gentle, efficient and loving, and her sense of humour as legendary, she was no less keenly aware of the structural
inequities faced by Maori in both church and community.

Her faith gave rise to a steady, insistent voice for justice and a steadfast commitment to working for transformative, equitable outcomes for her beloved Hahi Mihinare.

Together with all in my whanau, I give thanks to God for the incalculable gift of Huia’s friendship, solidarity and aroha over so many years.

E toku tuahine ataahua, kua oti ināianei tō mahi pai i tēnei ao. E tangi ana mātou mōu, i te wa tonu e whakawhetai ana ki te Atua mō tō oranga.

Haere aianei, haere me tō mātou aroha kia noho tahi ai me te Atua mo ake tonu atu.