Northlanders are mourning a former school principal described as a much-loved educator, a fierce champion of te reo Māori, and a “treasured taonga of Hokianga”.
By Peter de Graaf of RNZ
Tārati Buckley, also known as Dorothy or Nanny Dot, died during King’s Birthday Weekend. She was 76.
A 26-year-old Far North man has been charged with her murder.
Far North deputy mayor Chicky Rudkin said Whaea Tārati, a retired principal of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hokianga, spent decades giving young people the confidence to be Māori.
“She was a well-respected educational Māori leader across not just Tai Tokerau, but across Aotearoa. Our love and thoughts are with the whānau and hapori [community], who’ve been impacted by this tragic loss. She was such a loved person.
“She dedicated her life to teaching and uplifting others. She nurtured generations of tamariki and mokopuna, instilling in them te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and gave them the confidence to stand proudly as Māori in our world,” she said.
“She was a fierce advocate for te reo. Hokianga was her absolute love, and she worked tirelessly there to ensure the Māori language was upheld and appreciated not just there, but across the motu.”
Rudkin, a former principal at Kaikohe East School, said Whaea Tārati’s dedication to education had been passed down through the generations, with many of her mokopuna working as teachers or within the education sector.
“She was a teacher, mentor, leader, role model and treasured taonga of Hokianga. She leaves a legacy that will endure for generations to come, that’s for sure.”
“Moe mai rā e te rangatira. Moe mai rā e te pou o te reo Māori. Haere, haere, haere atu rā.”
Whaea Tārati’s tūpāpaku (body) is due to arrive at her former school, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hokianga, at Koutu Point in South Hokianga, later on Thursday. The details of her tangi have yet to be determined.
Police first became concerned for Tārati Buckley when they found her burnt-out car on Ounuwhao Road, off State Highway 14 northeast of Dargaville, just after 9am on Monday.
When officers went to her home in Ōpononi, some 100km to the north, they found it had been burgled.
Her body was found at an address in Whirinaki, a settlement 6km to the east, that night.
Around 2pm on Monday, a police patrol stopped a man behaving suspiciously on State Highway 14, near Dargaville.
He was found to be carrying “items of interest to the investigation”.
The 26-year-old was arrested and subsequently charged with murder, arson, burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, using a credit card to obtain a pecuniary advantage, and failing to assist police.
He has been granted interim name suppression and is next due in the High Court at Whangārei on June 19.
Police piecing together Monday’s tragic events are now looking for a dark red mountain bike the accused man was seen riding on State Highway 14, between Maungatapere and Dargaville, that day.
In an online post earlier this week, Tārati Buckley’s whānau described their “deep shock and immense mamae [pain]” at her death.
“She was taken from us far too soon, in circumstances that we are struggling to comprehend and accept,” the statement said.
