New Zealand First minister Shane Jones has remembered Pita Paraone as a diplomatic and unflappable leader who did not seek frontline glory.
Northland's Ngāti Hine people are in mourning for the well-known kaumātua and Waitangi stalwart, who died yesterday aged 73.
Mr Paraone's tangi will be at his home marae at Motatau in Bay of Islands.
Mr Jones told Māori news director Mani Dunlop that his loss is being felt keenly.
