Three contract virus, one survives
The latest outbreak has weighed heavily on the Te Hiko wha¯nau. Florence reports.
Nigel Te Hiko took his last breath in a solitary room as 10 members of his wha¯nau chanted the karakia of his beloved Raukawa people. Separated by awall of glass, wha¯nau could only watch as his life support, which had kept him alive for almost one month, was switched off on Tuesday afternoon.
While only 10 were allowed to be there for his final breath, many more wha¯nau waited outside WaikatoHospital. In Ma¯oridom, no loved one is ever left alone even after death.
Te Hiko, 54, would take his last breath almost two weeks after his elder brother – Alan Te Hiko, 58 – took his in similar circumstances, both victims of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, they are not the only Te Hiko siblings to have contracted it. A sister tested positive around the same time; she too was hospitalised but has since made a full recovery. Two others returned negative results.
As the wha¯nau gather at OngarotoMarae in the small village of Atiamuri, 20 minutes south of Tokoroa, tikanga kicks in as people wait at the marae gate to farewell a much-loved member of the South Waikato community. The time for wha¯nau to fully comprehend the impact of what has happenedwill come later.
Te Hiko’s beloved marae is metres from his childhood home nestled near the foot of his maunga, Pohaturoa. His brother was buried a week earlier at Tokoroa cemetery after lying in state at the Te Hikos’ other Raukawamarae, Ruapeka.
His wha¯nau are working diligently to welcome and feed the visitors under alert level 2 rules.
No more than 100 people, social distancing, and QR codes dotted around themarae for people to scan in.
As the kai karanga rings out and kauma¯tua are ushered in to be fed first, Te Hiko’s cousin, Chris
McKenzie, takes a breather inside a tent erected by the marae kitchen.
The exhaustion is clear on his face but there is work to do, double now that the wha¯nau leader is lying in state on the marae atea surrounded by thewomen of his wha¯nau who are cloaked in black.
McKenzie inhales deeply – the last month has been fraught for his wha¯nau. He begins at the end of Nigel and Alan’s life, and works his way back.
Nigel was put into an induced coma on August 19, his brother by that stage had also been put in an induced coma at Middlemore Hospital.
Alan’s life support was turned off on September 4, the younger would follow on September 15.
‘‘This all took the entire family by surprise. We are a very close-knit family. Nigel’s brother Alan came and visited once amonth, he would say hi, stay a couple of hours and then go home. He has been doing that forever. They were very close.
‘‘This time Alan went home, he felt a bit sick, like the flu and immediatelywent to the doctors, got tested and then his test came back positive. Then we got a phone call from the family saying hewas positive, and then we all immediatelywent to get tested, hundreds of our wha¯nau got tested and as a result everybody was clear but by then Nigel, who was in the immediate circle because Alan had come down to see him and a couple of others, immediatelywent into self-isolation in Hamilton.
‘‘Nigel had been a little bit sick prior to that and he very quicklywas admitted to hospital, and he was put into an induced coma, he had been that way for a couple of weeks.’’
Nigel will be buried at Tokoroa Cemetery today, nine days after his brother.
McKenzie says therewas a novisiting policy, which proved difficult for wha¯nau but technology let them reach out to Te Hiko.
‘‘The [Waikato] district health board was very accommodating; they would organise face time through technology, even though he was in a coma. Wewould have nightly karakia, sing songs and in fact he would often pick up as a result of these.’’
The wha¯nau continued the
nightly ritual but on Monday a meeting with doctors ended it.
‘‘The longer you are on a machine, the more impact it has on your vital organs. ByMonday, he was at the stagewhere recovery was not possible, so on Tuesday a small contingent of the immediate family went up to the hospital and put him in a separate room but closed the room and through the glass they had karakia and then he passed away that afternoon.’’
Two weeks earlier, Alan, who worked at Americoldwhere the initial case was discovered, died in similar circumstances. He too was put into an induced coma and weeks later his immediate wha¯nau were told there was nothing more that could be done.
‘‘It wasn’t only the two brothers – two sisters went in and another brother, now thankfully two were negative and one fully recovered.
‘‘Almost every parent in that era
had been directly affected, so to be honest with you, how did our wha¯nau cope with that – we didn’t knowwhat to think because communication is limitedwith people in isolation; we were working through individuals and just working through updates; and the updates up until two weeks ago were always positive – they were doing well and both brothers were stable. That was the reports we had had for most of the time.
‘‘Mostly we were worried but to be honestwewould never have imagined this. We read the reports, only 1 per cent die from this. We were fairly confident that this is just whatwe had to go through when this was happening.’’
McKenzie says both brothers were hugely influential in the wha¯nau circle.
‘‘It is difficult for most people to comprehend. In aMa¯ori family, everyone is going to say everyone is dedicated but in our Ma¯ori family, there is 80 per centwho are mostly dedicated, then there are the 5 per centwho are there for absolutely everything, and are in leadership roles. Both Alan and Nigel were two of those people for everything that we did.’’
Nigel’s responsibilities stretched beyond his wha¯nau. He was also a leader within his tribe and the protector of tribal history.
He took this role – as he did with many other positions he held, including being the court registrar for a number of years – extremely seriously.
And it is not only Te Ao Ma¯ori that is feeling the effects of the deaths. The Pacific Island community in Tokoroa has been devastated by the blow.
South Waikato Pacific Island Community Services Inc has the flags of the Pacific nations at its Tokoroa office at half-mast to honour Nigel and Alan.
Chief executive Akarere Henry had a close relationship with Nigel, both grew up in the ‘‘hood’’ and supported each other in the roles they held within their organisations.
‘‘We have Te Hikos on my street, in the hood, and certainly it would be fair to say that the most adventurous, the most opportunistic, intelligent and
beautiful people live in the hood,’’ Henry says.
‘‘It is predominantly the rainbow valley area of town [Kelso St area] and Nigel’s family was very much part of that fabric of our community who today continue to uphold and maintain these amazing relationships because of that familycentred model that we took for granted. We could literally hang out at each other’s homes, have a kai and Nigel’s family and himselfwere part of that.’’
In his role within Raukawa, Te Hikoworked closely with the Pacific community, ensuring they always had a seat at the decision-making table. ‘‘He has been key for us in our organisation in terms of Treaty of Waitangi training, and because of his knowledge and his ability to ensure it was quite real and relative to the way we work as Pacific,’’ she says.
‘‘In particular, the parts of the Treaty that talk about protection, partnership, and participation – we call it the three Ps – and all of those three elements were already demonstrated and role-modelled by Nigel and his approach to us as Pacific people.
‘‘He ensured at every occasion that the Pacific was represented and respected and was given the same mana as tangatawhenua, and I am yet to meet any other statement of that nature that has held Pacific people in this community in such high regard, and we will miss him. Immensely.’’
Across town at her law firm, Arama Ngapo-Lipscombe – who also started life in rainbow valley – remembers aman who supported her through her first few years as a new lawyer in Tokoroa.
‘‘Not only is this a loss for the entire SouthWaikato community and his iwi but for me personally it is a loss I share,’’ she says.
‘‘When I first came to work as a lawyer at the Tokoroa court, he was the court registrar here, and he was always friendly, knowledgeable and alwayswilling to share his knowledge with me.
‘‘When he moved from his mahi at the courthouse to take up a role with Raukawa, that just really solidifiedwhat an awesome person he was and the knowledge that he had and was capable of sharing.
‘‘He was aman of great mana and I had the utmost respect for him,’’ Ngapo-Lipscombe says.
SouthWaikato District mayor Jenny Shattock had a long history with Te Hiko, whom she considered a friend. Hewas instrumental in guiding council through Te Ao Ma¯ori, she says.
‘‘He was always available to help council and he made a huge contribution to the relationship that council has with Raukawa,’’ she says.
‘‘For me personally, Nigel was a true gentlemanwho had my utmost respect. He was humble and a genuine, positive person. I considered him a friend. I amdeeply saddened by his passing.’’
Back at the Ongaroto Marae, McKenzie is answering texts from people wanting to know if they can come, ensuring they don’t break the Covid rules.
McKenzie quickly types as he makes hisway to the hangi pit, where they are preparing it for the kai hakari after Te Hiko’s burial.
And while the wha¯nau begin to learn to live without the two men who led them, they can take solace that the work that the brothers have done in immersing theirwha¯nau in Te Ao Ma¯ori is evident on their paepae, their whare kai and their manaakitanga.