A Marist priest working in the Whaia Te Whaea ministry based in Te Puna, Fr David Gledhill, Thursday, paid tribute to former Minister of Māori Affairs and MP Parekura Horomia.
“Whether you were the Prime Minister, Tribal Chief or a local he was having a beer with, Mr Horomia treated everybody the same.
“To the locals he was just an ordinary fella they voted for and who advocated hard for them. They were surprised at his Tangi to learn of his national achievements and the respect, the aroha, top people in the country had for him,” he said.
Earlier in the week the New Zealand parliament dedicated Tuesday to paying tribute to Mr Horomia.
St Bede’s College Old Boy and Leader of the House, Gerry Brownlee told Parliament he remembered getting a note from Mr Horomia for not shutting his eyes during the House Prayer.
Brownlee recalled Mr Horomia used to send notes to MP’s he noticed didn’t have their eyes closed during the Parliamentary prayer.
He said Mr Horomia would sit with one eye shut and the other roving around the chamber. “And if you saw that eye, he would send you a note saying ‘I notice you didn’t have your eyes shut through the prayer. That’s very disrespectful.’”
Mr Horomia, was a much loved MP by all members of Parliament. He died ten days ago.
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