'Believe in you, believe in me, believe in Māori': Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp dead at 50
Kemp, 50, founded the Rangatahi Mental Health Youth Hub in partnership with the University of Auckland, served as Director of Hip Hop International New Zealand, managed the first crew from Aotearoa to qualify for the World Hip Hop Championships in the US and lead Manurewa Marae as its chief executive through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kemp was recognised as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to youth and street dance in 2021.
She had taken leave from Parliament last year, following a diagnosis of kidney disease and had recently celebrated her 50th birthday.
Running as the Te Pāti Māori candidate for the Tāmaki Makarau Māori electorate in 2023, Kemp only narrowly beat out Labour incumbent Peeni Henare by a margin of 42 vote, following a recount, to win the seat. In her maiden speech, Kemp spoke about her early life in South Taranaki.
Kemp was the first born child of her parents Clark Karaka Kauika-Stevens and Ngaire Anne Te Hirata Kauika-Stevens.
"Both my parents were hard-working, community focused, whānau-driven, and very, very loving parents. I want to acknowledge my parents, today, who are here. This is where my whānau ora seed was sown," Kemp said
"My father enlisted in the Corps of the Royal New Zealand Engineers and was posted to Linton army camp in 1977. The following year, the waka pakanga of our whānau arrived-my sister Leaara Jade Tārete Tangituohu, tēnei te mihi nui ki a koe e taku tuahine."
Named after her father's mother, Takutai Moana Nora Wirihana Tawiki, Kemp said was raised by her grandparents from the age of seven till she was eleven - a common practice in te ao Māori - and returned to her people of Ngāti Pourua and her marae Takirau.
Kemp described her nana as her "world".
"This was the start of my marae upbringing as I lived there and attended Ngamatapouri School. Takirau is where I was immersed in tikanga Māori and brought up to manaaki people, particularly under the leadership of my grandmother."
"She made many decisions for the mahi that needed to be done, even from her bed," Kemp said.
Takutai Tarsh Kemp said caring for whānau ran through her blood.
Photo:
Supplied/ Te Pāti Māori
Kemp was a devout follower of the Rātana faith and shared her whānau's connection to it's prophet and founder, Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana.
"My papa's mother Huatahi Peina Hawira and my great-grandfather's sister Mariana Hekenui were part of the rōpū that travelled with Tahu Potiki Wiremu Rātana on his world tour in 1924. These two kuia remind me of my own whānau connections to a significant piece of history concerning the Tiriti grievances," Kemp said.
"Rātana carried a petition on the Treaty of Waitangi and land confiscations to present to King George V and the League of Nations. Rātana was searching for mutual remedies for the troubles that the government put on Māori."
As her children grew up in Tāmaki Makaurau, Kemp said, they developed a love for hip-hip dance, a love she said "saved our lives".
"I went from the "dance mom" to become the Hip Hop International New Zealand Director, travelling the world through the World Hip Hop Dance Championship for 20 years."
Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp.
Photo:
RNZ / Simon Rogers
As chief executive of Manurewa Marae, Kemp and her team delivered 65,000 vaccinations through the Covid-19 pandemic.
"It takes courage, bravery to stand up for what your community needs and to navigate tikanga through uncertain times. To all our kaimahi who are here, and those that couldn't travel, who have continued to hold the front line for our people, I mihi to you and your continuous, unconditional aroha for our community."
"I will never forget the mahi that our marae did and what we stood for."
Being a "grassroots marae girl", Kemp said caring for whānau ran through her blood.
"Our future in Tāmaki-makau-rau and across the motu is on the right path with our 'to Māori, for Māori, by Māori' approach. I would like to recognise the 'Proud to be Māori' movement of Te Pāti Māori that has supported six unapologetic Māori voices into this Whare. We will not let you down, and I can promise you we will never be quiet."
"Never forget: we are magic people. We live in an Aotearoa hou. We will walk and talk and we are proud to be Māori. Toitū te reo Māori, toitū te whenua, toitū Te Tiriti. Believe in you, believe in me, believe in Māori," Kemp said.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
The mental health charity trying to help reluctant gun owners
Photo: 123rf A former farmer has set up a charity to help firearm owners seek mental health support without fear of having their guns taken away. Glen Thurston started Mental Hunts after having his own firearms licence revoked when he sought mental health help in 2019. Following the 2019 Christchurch terror attack, the government banned military-style semi-automatic weapons. It then set up a gun registry, tightened licence rules, and enabled health workers to flag physical or mental health concerns which could result in suspension of a firearms licence. Thurston said because of this, many licence holders were now reluctant to seek mental health help. Glen Thurston said he felt like a burden on a farm when he lost his gun licence. Photo: Supplied/Mental Hunts Through Mental Hunts he works to connect firearms holders with the help they need. He had previously been to the doctor about his mental health, but 2019 was the first time he had been asked about firearms. "And I was like, 'What? What does that got to do with anything? I've never been asked this question before'," he said. "Long story short, I ended up having my licence revoked and you try farming without a firearms licence when you need to euthanise a cow or anything like that, or pest control. "It really, really restricted me. I no longer farm. I became a bit of a burden. I felt like I became a bit of a burden on the farm, always needing to call them up if I needed to deal to a sick animal or anything like that." Thurston said it made him feel like a criminal, damaging his mental health further. He said things have improved for licence holders, thanks largely to the Firearms Safety Authority The authority's senior partnerships adviser Kendra Hill said having a mental health condition did not automatically exclude a person from getting a licence. "As part of the application process, we might ask for some supporting information from your health practitioner so that we can understand how the health condition might be managed to ensure that you and those around you are kept safe. "There isn't an exhaustive list of health conditions relevant to safe use and possession of firearms. If we think that there is a concern for a person's safety, there's a range of different interventions that we can take. "But what I want to emphasise is that the appropriate treatment and management of a physical or mental health condition is always gonna be preferable to suspension or loss of licence." Hill also acknowledged the benefits from getting outside and going hunting with mates could do for a person's mental health. The government has promised to reform the firearms system. Potential changes are likely to be announced later in the year and go through Parliamentary processes during 2025-2026.
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
Ministry of Health forced to release documents showing alcohol lobby influence
The spirits industry says it supports targeted programmes but believes the draft Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder strategy is too broad. File photo Photo: By Angie Garrett from Ridgely, USA [CC BY 2.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons Alcohol lobbyists pushed health officials not to raise taxes, curb supply or cut industry sponsorship of sport - despite those measures being endorsed by the World Health Organisation as among the most effective ways to reduce alcohol harm. The tactics are laid bare in documents the Ministry of Health tried to keep secret, only releasing them after RNZ appealed to the Ombudsman. They also show industry efforts to shape a government strategy to combat Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Officials handed the draft FASD plan to alcohol companies for feedback - while keeping it from the public. Spirits New Zealand dismissed estimates that up to 3000 babies are born with the disorder each year as "not credible" and attacked a taxpayer-funded ad campaign from 2019, even though it won five awards. Health Coalition Aotearoa said the industry should have no role in shaping alcohol policy. But the ministry's deputy director general Andrew Old defended its engagement, insisting companies had no special access. "They certainly haven't had any particular special treatment or back door into the ministry. It's been a deliberate, structured approach. They've had quarterly meetings with the team," Old said. "I can absolutely and categorically say that there is no veto power. So if the industry says 'we don't want to see this', that has no bearing on the outcome. It is a view that is considered alongside a range of other views." Old accepted the alcohol industry was motivated by profit. "I also would hope that, in doing that, they don't want to be doing harm," he said. "There's clearly a conflict. But, to my mind, it's not an irreconcilable conflict that would mean that we should just never talk to them." Read more: Alcohol lobbyists were also given a draft investment strategy on how to spend the Alcohol Levy, a ring-fenced fund of $16.6 million for alcohol harm reduction measures. The documents include an email from Spirits NZ to the MOH, saying there was intense interest in the Alcohol Levy, which is funded from a small tax on sales - equivalent to less than one cent on a standard can of beer. "My members with global links are seeking advice from their HQ's from London to Louisville, Kentucky - yes, this is how important this matter is to them," the lobbyist says, in a November 2024 email to the MOH. The documents show industry concern the Alcohol Levy would be spent on programmes based on the WHO's SAFER strategy, which says that, globally, a person dies every ten seconds due to alcohol related causes. "The WHO SAFER strategies include measures like restricting availability and raising excise taxes," a submission from the Brewers Association says. "These broad based initiatives are generally seen as reducing consumption overall and not targeting harmful consumption." The Brewers Association said there was an "overemphasis on restrictions" in the WHO guidelines. "Metrics tied to SAFER principles could incentivise programmes that focus excessively on punitive measures, such as limiting availability and marketing, rather than collaborative, education-based harm reduction approaches." The Brewers Association also warned against using the Alcohol Levy to fund "controversial" programmes it believes won't reduce harmful consumption. "Examples raised in our meeting included research with little application actions in the outcomes, funding of legal support for opposition of licences and replacing sponsorship arrangements in sport organisations with funds from the levy." The documents, which the MOH tried to withhold using a section of the OIA designed to protect advice between Ministers and officials until overruled by the Ombudsman, also include industry critique of the FASD strategy. Spirits New Zealand, which represents the likes of Asahi, Bacardi, Diageo, Lion, Moet-Hennessy and Pernod Ricard, warned against launching action on FASD without knowing what the prevalence was. It took issue with estimates, based on international studies and expert opinion, that 3-5 percent of babies - 1800 to 3000 every year - are born with FASD. "This is simply not credible and is similar to the situation that existed when the last plan was developed in 2016," the lobbyists say. "We cannot see how any FASD-prevention plan can be started without good data as a baseline. We would ask that the Public Health Agency give assurances that work on measurement frameworks occurs prior to other plan elements being launched." Leigh Henderson, chair of the advocacy group FASD-CAN, was concerned the alcohol industry doubted the prevalence of FASD. "Are they saying, 'Okay, it's all right for 500 babies to be born, but not 1800," she asked. "We know it's not 100 percent preventable, but to try and downplay it in that way is just callous and not recognising the level of the problem." In a statement chief executive Robert Brewer said Spirits NZ "categorically denies" downplaying the extent of FASD. "The government can't fix a problem if it doesn't know its true extent, level of occurrence, who is affected and why and to do this you need good data. This is basic public policy." Henderson said the motivation of the industry was clear, given its opposition during the 20 year battle to get mandatory pregnancy warning labels on alcohol. The spirits industry says it supports targeted programmes but believes the draft FASD strategy is too broad. It raised the ad campaign 'Pre-Testie Bestie' as an example, saying its "ultimate audience seemed to be any woman of child-bearing age who may or may not be having sex and who may or may not be pregnant". It said that was "an impossible audience to communicate with" as the campaign, funded by the Health Promotion Agency (HPA), was trying to be both targeted and national. But the HPA (now part of Health New Zealand) said in its 2019 Annual Report that 38 percent of women aged 18 to 30 saw the campaign and 70 percent of them got the key message: "Don't drink if you are or might be pregnant". The Pre-Testie Bestie ad campaign won five Axis Awards. The spirits industry also took issue with the draft FASD strategy saying New Zealand is a country where "alcohol is highly accessible, use is normalised," and there are high rates of hazardous drinking. Brewer said hazardous drinking had declined over the last four years in New Zealand to just 16 percent of adults.
RNZ News
20 hours ago
- RNZ News
Disability groups fear vital travel subsidy could be capped
Fears are growing in the disability community that a vital travel subsidy scheme could be capped. The Total Mobility Scheme that is co-funded by the government helps disabled people who cant use buses trains or ferries get where they need to go in subsidised taxis. The scheme has been under review for the past two years, with no official word on any changes. Disability groups fear the subsidy will be cut or overall funding capped, seriously restricting options for people who use the scheme. Auckland academic Dr Sally Britnell spoke to Lisa Owen. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
