Tributes have been flowing for te reo revitaliser and key advocate for Pākehā allyship to Māori, Andrew Robb, who has died at the age of 66.
Andrew Robb began learning te reo 50 years ago. Photo: Supplied
Robb, known to many as Anaru, of Pākehā descent, was a journalist and was active in a number of organisations like Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i Te Reo, Te Reo Māori Society, more recently, the Māori Spectrum Working Group, and others.
Working alongside the late rangatira Te Huirangi Waikerepuru, he also contributed to the Wai 11 te reo claim, which was key in the creation of Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission.
He started his reo journey in 1974 at Victoria University and has been involved in the reo revitalisation movement since as well as protecting and advocating for the environment.
In 2016 he told RNZ's Te Ahi Kaa about his first meeting at Te Reo Society - the Māori language club at the university - where he started hearing the language spoken by native speakers for the first time. Although he only recognised two words - "Pākehā" and "Māori" - the meeting had a big impact.
"It was a stunning, astonishing revelation. There was the whole culture out there I had known nothing about. It was a revelation of my ignorance," Robb said.
Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori also paid tribute to a man who its chief executive, Ngahiwi Apanui, describes as a Māori language champion.
"Anaru joined the battle for te reo Māori when he was a first-year university student almost 50 years ago and he never left us.
"He was a paradox in that on the one hand you had a fierce advocate and ally for te reo, on the other hand you had a softly spoken, humble and gentle Pākehā man. A fluent speaker of te reo but who never used te reo as a weapon himself," Apanui said.
"Anaru leaves a legacy of passionate, perpetual protest: he never stopped advocating for justice and for tino rangatiratanga. Whether he was explaining to other Pākehā the need to understand language trauma experienced by Māori people or whether he was demanding answers from politicians side-stepping his tough questioning. He was an ally and a very dear friend who is sadly missed.
"As a lifelong and founding member of Ngā Kaiwhakapumau i te Reo Māori, the organisation whose members led the WAI11 Reo Māori claim to the Waitangi Tribunal, Anaru helped change history and the future of te reo in Aotearoa, its homeland."
Robb used his skills as a bilingual journalist on radio and in print and was also a storyteller who ensured the stories of te reo included those of the battle to safeguard it for future generations of New Zealanders, Apanui said.
He was a frequent writer on e-tangata and in this piece speaks personally of his journey and reflects on the role Pākehā can play in being allies to Māori.
He is survived by his three children, Te Kawa, Mahuru and Te Au o Te Moana and his two mokopuna - who the whānau say were the recent light in his life - reenergising his continued advocacy for the rights and growth of te reo.
E te rangatira - moe mai ra.
