24/07/2026
Tribute to the late Rt.Hon. Sir William Birch
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha, tēnā koutou katoa.
E te rangatira, Ta William, moe mai rā. Moe mai i roto i tō moenga roa.
On behalf of the Pukekohe Ngā Hau e Whā Marae Community, we acknowledge with deep respect and aroha the passing of Sir William Birch. He served our district and our nation with distinction—as a surveyor, councillor, Deputy Mayor, Member of Parliament, and Minister of the Crown.
As a surveyor, he helped shape the land, and then as a leader, helped shape the community.
His years on the Pukekohe Borough Council, including six important years as Deputy Mayor, placed him at the heart of local decision-making.
Alongside him at times was one of our own, kaumātua Bill Proctor, a fellow councillor and another William — so clearly, there was something in that name.
We honour his service, and we remember with gratitude his enduring contribution to our marae.
Within our marae hangs a photograph from 1989, taken at the opening of our rebuilt community hall and new marae. It marks a significant moment in our history—alongside Te Arikinui Dame Te Ataairangi Kahu, Whatumoana P**i, Lady Rosa Birch and the Rt Hon. Sir William Birch.
Here is a shared vision of the Kiingitanga, the Community and the Crown in action. Sir William stood with us not only on that day, but throughout the journey that made it possible.
Our beginnings were humble. The Ngā Hau e Whā Community Hall, opened in 1959 by Sir Walter Nash and named by Princess Te Puea Herangi, as the ‘Peoples of the Four Winds’. It was given mana. It became a place of refuge and belonging for whānau who had come to Pukekohe from across the motu. It upheld our tikanga and carried our people through times of grief and celebration. With the guidance of multi-tribal elders our community persevered, despite limitations and differences.
Sir William recognised both the significance of the site and the need to secure a stronger future for the community. Following a request from the Hall Trustees to Council for land to establish a permanent, proper marae, Sir William worked closely with our kaumātua, the Hall Trustees, and the wider community. He served as Chair of the Ngā Hau e Whā Marae Steering Committee and later the Building Committee.
Alongside of his powerful ministerial portfolios in the government – Science and Technology, Energy, National Development, Regional Development, he still made time to advocate for a local marae.
In Wellington, the Department of Education had a block of land set aside for a secondary school on Beatty’s Road. The Department of Māori Affairs had a ‘Tu Tangata Kokiri Programme’. Sir William’s parliamentary influence led to the transfer of the educational land from one department to another. The land was eventually gazetted under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 as a ‘Māori Reservation for the purpose of a village site, marae meeting place, recreation ground, sports ground, church site, building site, burial ground and papakainga for the common use and benefit of the Māori people of New Zealand.’
That land, now a Māori Reservation, remains a foundation for the wellbeing and development of our Māori community.
Today, Ngā Hau e Whā Marae stands as a place of mana, learning, and connection—supporting our whānau through education, health, social and housing structures and the continuation of tikanga Māori mātauranga and culture.
Sir William’s legacy, to us, is one of quiet leadership and meaningful action—of lifting others and enabling communities to stand with dignity.
There is a saying taken from Te Taura o te Mana – the chords of dignity:
“No person is made greater by making another small.
True strength is the hand that lifts,
not the hand that holds down.”
For us, Sir William was that hand that lifts.
For this, we will remain eternally grateful.
We extend our heartfelt aroha and condolences to his whānau present today.
Moe mai rā, Sir William.
