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A Waikato family already dealing with a coronavirus death is now grieving the loss of another from the virus.
Nigel Huirama Te Hiko, 54, brother of Alan Te Hiko, died Tuesday afternoon in the intensive care unit at Waikato Hospital, nearly two weeks after his older brother died at Middlemore Hospital.
Te Hiko, a revered Raukawa leader and historian, lived in Tokoroa and contracted the virus from his brother who worked at Americold. They were part of the Auckland group.
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Visits to residents in nursing homes are expected to be strictly managed, even if the government lowers the country’s alert levels.
The siblings went into an induced coma and were in intensive care when they died. Nigel was in a coma when Alan died on September 5.
Te Hiko’s death brings New Zealand’s death toll from the virus to 25.
A spokesman for the Health Ministry said they would not comment until the 1 pm briefing.
A total of 56 people linked to the current August Auckland group remain in the quarantine facility. This includes 26 people with the virus and their household contacts.
The total number of active cases is currently 82.
Since the first outbreak, there have been 1,450 cases of the virus in New Zealand.
Young Te Hiko was a revered Raukawa leader and historian.
He was one of seven siblings and is survived by his beloved daughter whāngai Gwen and moko Mahina-ā-rangi.
Te Hiko’s cousin Phyllis Tahere described it as the glue that held the whānau together.
“Nigel was definitely a leader in the whānau. He gathered whānau. One call from him and everyone would come to him, ”he said.
“He was a father figure to all of our nieces and nephews; he was the one they turned to when they needed advice. It kept the family together.
“Some of our whānau, our young men, are difficult to handle, and Nigel also did it when required; it would be hard when I needed it.
“It was because of his great heart and his immense love. He has a lot of love for whānau whānui. The gate to our whānau farm was always open, no matter what time of day or night. Nigel’s door and heart were always open. “
Te Hiko worked for over 20 years for her people, Raukawa. She took a year in 2006 to care for her late mother during her last illness.
He had a background in social work, but developed his skills and experience as a researcher and historian. His thirst for knowledge and understanding separated him.
Raukawa president Vanessa Eparaima said Te Hiko was a pou of support for her and the iwi in her time as president, and for the leaders who came before.
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Raukawa President Vanessa Eparaima said Te Hiko was a revered leader within the tribe.
Te Hiko was a Raukawa historian whose love of knowledge and passion for accumulating and increasing the shared history and mātauranga of himself and his tribe leaves a lasting legacy, he said.
“He was an incredibly humble man, did not yearn to be the center of attention and was an immense support pool often in the background, supporting leaders with whaikōrero when necessary, history and advice, and with the ammunition of research and knowledge. knowledge that was crucial to the conclusion of the Raukawa agreement negotiations, ”he said.
“As in any iwi, our workers are whānau, friends, colleagues, kaimahi, all rolled into one. Nigel was that and much more. We often recognize the specialty, the uniqueness when we must say goodbye to our loved ones. But for Nigel, it’s impossible not to recognize her immense ability and her invaluable support for so many how exceptional she was. “
Eparaima said he was often mocked for his absolute loyalty to a particular team.
“Where it was not exceptional, it is an affliction that many of our people have, it is a blind loyalty to the Warriors,” he said.
“Nigel was also exceptional because he always managed to put on his Warriors jersey, despite the different stages of development of his often swollen puku. He was a very passionate man and never shy to show his deep love and pride for his whānau and his iwi. “
Te Hiko was burdened by his deteriorating health and suffered from kidney problems, however that did not stop him in his role with Raukawa.
Eparaima said that Te Hiko has left huge shoes to fill for the iwi, but they are fortunate that he has shared his knowledge to feed the minds and hearts of many of this generation and those to come.
“Our condolences and aroha have been extended to Nigel’s whānau. I know this will be a sad time for whānau, our team and the many, many people who have been touched by Nigel’s presence. “
The whānau have asked for their privacy as they mourn the death of their rangatira.
