Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp died in the early hours of Thursday morning, only a few hours after returning to her home in Auckland from Parliament.
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-hop 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.
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