September 01, 2015
Maori council remembers Lady Emily Latimer
A tireless worker for Maori self-determination has breathed her last.
Lady Emily Latimer died this morning at her home in Pamapuria, near Kaitaia, on the eve of her 87th birthday.
Lady Emily, from the Walker whanau of Whakatohea, met Graham Latimer in Auckland in 1945, when he was in army training with her brother Paddy.
They married in 1948 after he returned from service in J Force in Japan, and they formed a powerful team in their work with the Taitokerau District and New Zealand Maori Council.
Maori Council co-chair Maanu Paul says he first encountered her in 1966.
"Every year she's been there beside Sir Graham acting in the capacity as the secretary of the Taitokerau District Maori Council. Her presence there bought a sense of dignity to the council hui" says Maanu Paul
Lady Emily Latimer will be taken to Te Paatu Marae for the tangi.
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