Beatrice Piatarihi Tui Yates (nee Grant) 11 September 1939 - 6 September 2018. Nō Te Arawa, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāti Manawa, Scottish, Irish me Fijian Indian.

 

E te kōkā, e te whaea, e te māreikura, e te putiputi o Te Arawa, moe mai rā i tō moenga roa. Waiho mā mātou āu mahi e whakaora tonu, e whakanui tonu, e pupuri tonu mo ngā uri whakatupuranga. Ko koe tētehi o ngā manukura i whakapono ki ā mātou kaupapa nei a Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru, ā i noho hai kaitiaki i runga i to mātou Poari. Mei kore rawa mātou e warewaretia i āu kaha ki te manaaki, ki te awhi, ki te tautoko, ki te hāpai, ki te aroha i ngā tini āhuatanga o tō mātou kaupapa. Ā i whakapono koe ki tēnei o ā mātou whāinga, kia puāwai te whakaaro ki te kohikohi pūrākau nō Te Arawa kia noho hai rauemi mo ngā kura o Rotorua, o Te Arawa whānui. Ā kua pūāwai, kua ea, ā kua ora. Kia au tō moe Aunty.

 

Aunty Bea was and forever will be loved by our Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru team. We were fortunate to have had her support since the inception of our initiative and consequently throughout its first three years as a dedicated Trustee. When the idea of creating a website that could store a number of Arawa stories was first flagged, Aunty Bea got quite excited. She got even more excited by the fact that these stories would benefit our schools and ensure our tamariki, mokopuna learn about who they are, and where they come from.

 

A wahine toa, a teacher, a storyteller, a writer, a cultural performer, an entertainer (Tina Tuna), a volunteer extraordinaire, a Māori Warden, a wife, a mum, an aunty, a nan, a legend who will be forever in our hearts, minds and the stories she has left to embed the importance of storytelling. Thank you for being “Simply the Best!”

 

Ngā manaakitanga, nā

Ngā Pumanawa e Waru, Trustees, Directors and Staff.