Te Akaroa! E Metua no Araura Enua kua inga!

A tribute to the late Sir Terepai Maoate by Bishop Tutai Pere of the Apostolic Church.

The mamas would call him ”E Tere“, the Papas ”Pai“, and the kids ”Ue! tera ake te taote?“.

A giant of a man, a warrior, a hero, like a real son of Aitutaki in all his years as a medical doctor on Aitutaki.

He planted the land, fished the ocean, was a great rugby player, cricketer, tennis player, pua thrower, an athlete, a community man, a man who did more for the people than any local Aitutakian of his time.

Everyone knew him, many disliked his ‘go, go, go, go, work ethics’ but his boys didn’t seem to mind, though from sunrise to sunset. A number one legacy he has left and deeply imbedded in all his one daughter Mii and five sons – Junior, Kiki, Bob, Tereinga and Pekamu. He can be short and hot tempered at times but he meant it all well, always for a reason and purpose – if work was to be done well, quick and with no effort and time wasted.

Yes, he planted anything and everything that would grow on Aitutaki. While the bananas in the 60s and 70s was the booming export industry on Aitutaki, he would also be collecting the throw away bananas to make ‘dried bananas or piere’. He just hated seeing things go to waste.

My family lived right opposite the Mapus and Maoates, that’s how I knew of their home as always a hive of activities, hard work and even surpluses galore to share with the neighbours.

Ending my four years 1964-1969 at Tereora College, who could have thought that my very first career would be fishing along with Pai. I at age 19 and he at age 42, we spent the whole year of 1970 just fishing beyond the reefs and around the island of Aitutaki in days when there were no fishing fads. If we had thought to weigh our one time catch of the day, we probably would still be holding to this day a fishing record for Aitutaki of 36 wahoos, 16 barracudas, 8 yellow fin tunas and a monster shark which exhausted the both of us after two hours hauling, which very strangely and surprisingly he just cut the line to let go.

That was the first time I had seen him let loose of a line and hook just to let go of the shark, which was just too big for our already filled up (Jack Neal’s papaa style) big outrigger canoe. Very unlike of him, on most occasions whenever our hook or line gets caught at the bottom of the ocean due to our motor stopping, he’d just tell me to pull the line hard while he follows the line down to undo his line or hook. He was a miser who wasted nothing and would leave no stone unturned till his dream and vision is fulfilled.

Behind every successful man of course must always be the woman and wife of his life. It is common knowledge in Aitutaki that whosoever marries any woman from a Ngati Teata or Ngati Pitiaua signs his own warrant to either swim along with or drown. That was very brave of Papa Pai to have married one such woman, my dear cousin and most beautiful woman Marito, he survived.

I know for fact, that every politician or anybody who stood or dared say anything odd against her man and beloved husband Terepai will have received a personal and direct phone call from her.

So long my good friend and fishing partner ‘Pai’, you taught me two great virtues and values in life, ‘patience and endurance’. Mama Marito, you definitely helped steer, shape and refine the man who became one of the finest doctors, government, sports and community leaders that the Cook Islands has ever produced.

To Mii, Junior, Teariki, Bob, Tereinga, Pecham, your spouses and children – thank you for sharing the life of your Papa with us Aitutakians and the people of the Cook Islands.

Very sorry, didn’t make it back to Dad’s funeral but thank God back in time for the family closing last Sunday afternoon.

Love from – an in-law, an uncle and a close friend.

Bishop Tutai Pere