Pioneer was a strong advocate for her people

Friday, 24 September 2021

Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu: It is with immense sorrow that we announce the passing of Sandra Cook, who slipped away in the early hours September 18.

A pioneer for women in horse racing and a strong advocate for Ngāi Tahu whānui, Sandra Cook, has died.

Cook died on September 18, 2021, with her much-loved life partner Cathy at her side.

Born May 8, 1956, in Invercargill, she was the third of four daughters to the late Ivan Cook and Sylvia Malcolm (née Harding), and step-daughter to Reg Malcolm.

Through the Harding line, she was of Waitaha, Ngāti Māmoe and Ngāi Tahu descent, with her tupuna Te Whareraki buried at Ōraka (Colac Bay) – a place that has always held great significance for Sandra.

* Commitment made to a predator-free Rakiura

Growing up in the midst of numerous Cook, Dawson, Skerrett and Harding cousins, she became known for her keen intellect, her unshakeable stubbornness, and her absolute loyalty – traits that she would continue to epitomise for the rest of her life.

Cook's passion for horses began from an early age, when she would disappear on her bike on weekends and school holidays to rural south Invercargill to visit friends who had ponies and horses. When she was fifteen years old, she left home for her first job working at a racing stable in Duntroon.

During the next five years, she served her apprenticeship at several leading trotting and racing stables throughout the country, as well as completing one season as a stud groom, before she eventually settled in Ōrari. She was one of the pioneers for full participation of women in horse racing, and at the age of 21 became the first female professional trainer/driver in the trotting code.

When she was subsequently granted an open trainer’s licence by the New Zealand Racing Conference she became the youngest person and only female to hold all three licences.

Her career as a horse trainer and driver came to an end due to two spinal injuries that nearly left her wheelchair bound, her eventual recovery thanks only to a very skilled surgeon and her own indomitable spirit.

It was at this time that she made the decision to attend law school, and it was during her studies that she first met Tā Tipene O’Regan and became involved with Te Kerēme – the Ngāi Tahu Claim.

She began working for the Ngāi Tahu Māori Trust Board in late 1995 as a Claims Officer, and later became part of the C Team – the specialist group that carried out the detailed research and clause by clause negotiations, as well as working with officials and staff of various governance departments.

It was during this time that she found a purpose for her prodigious memory, unmatched attention to detail, and refusal to leave no stone unturned.

This work was also her initiation into the importance of mahinga kai to Ngāi Tahu whānui.

Mahinga kai was the ninth tall tree of Te Kerēme, and Cook's work included the cultural redress sections of the Ngāi Tahu Deed of Settlement, which stipulated the return of the Rakiura Tītī Islands and Rarotoka to Ngāi Tahu ownership.

Cook continued to work on behalf of her rūnaka and iwi in various roles during the past 20 years.

She poured her heart and soul into securing a better future for Ngāi Tahu whānui, and the impact of her mahi will continue to be felt for generations to come. The many highlights of her career include her work on the Ngāi Tahu Settlement, assisting the Rakiura Tītī Islands Administering Body to prepare a management plan and bylaws, the implementation of the Relativity Mechanism and the establishment of Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu.

She served as chair of Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka for several years and later as its alternate representative to Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, and held numerous governance roles including for the Department of Conservation and Southern District Health Board.

This included her appointment to Te Waiau Mahika Kai Trust in 2017, and her appointment by the Conservation Minister to the statutory body Guardians of Lakes Manapōuri, Monowai and Te Ānau.

She was passionate about conservation, and a huge part of her legacy is the Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka restoration project on Rarotoka, a small island off the coast of Colac Bay.

During the course of 20 odd years, Cook and Cathy led this project which involved dozens of volunteer trips to Rarotoka.

The aspiration was to clear the island of gorse and scrub, and re-establish its native plantings and birdlife – as well as maintaining its predator free status. She was also a major contributor to conservation work at Te Kōawa Tūroa o Takitimu, although she would be the first to insist that her mahi there and on Rarotoka was merely progressing the vision laid out by her dear friend and mentor Jane Davis.

Cook has been described as fierce and formidable – and of course she was – but those who knew her well saw also her immense patience and kindness, her advocacy on behalf of others, her tireless grit and determination and her wicked sense of humour.

Although her death will reverberate throughout the iwi and indeed te ao Māori, Cook’s loss is most strongly felt by her immediate whānau: her life partner Cathy, sisters Linda and Karen, and nephews and niece Christopher, Anna and Michael.

A private service has been held with a public memorial to be planned later in 2021.

Me he manawa tītī me tōna hiringa, kia hoki anō ki te whatumanawa o te whānau.

Like the courageous heart of the tītī in all its glory, let the passion of the people return.

Supplied by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu