‘Tarsh, sister, I bid you goodnight’: Te Pāti Māori MP laid to rest
Tuesday, 1 July 2025
Moe mai rā, e rangatira. Moe mai rā, Takutai Natasha Kemp.
The MP was laid to rest on Tuesday, beside a chapel on her marae in Taihape. As hundreds of mourners arrived at Opaea Marae, she was remembered as a staunch advocate for her people, and someone who dedicated her life to helping others.
“She died as she lived, serving her people. The mahi must continue,” said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi as he delivered a final farewell to his former MP.
Parliamentarians from across the House have paid tribute to Kemp, the MP for Tamaki Makaurau, after she died unexpectedly last week as a result of her kidney disease. She was just 50 years old.
Kemp had worked until her final moments, appearing at Parliament just the day before she died in Auckland.
Her time in Parliament had not been easy. Not long after her election in 2023, she was diagnosed with kidney disease and took several weeks off to recover. But she remained determined to serve.
Her son, Te Manea Kauika-Quinlan, said it had been heartening to see how many people had arrived to share their memories of his mother.
“My mum, man, in these past few days I’ve only just realised the magnitude of how many hearts she’s actually touched,” he said.
“It’s so hard to see her like this,” he said, during the eulogy. “But the big thing for our mum was our whānau. When she became a politician, she never changed. The only thing that changed was the amount of power she had.”
While she had been an MP only for a short time, her whānau and colleagues all noted how passionate she had been about politics and about Te Pāti Māori. Some joked that the tangi was itself a hui for Te Pāti Māori, even though some of Labour’s most senior MPs were sitting in the crowd.
“When you walk out of here today,” said Elijah Pule, who hosted the service, “you’re either going to walk out with a new membership of Te Pāti Māori, an umbrella – or maybe even a new registration on the Māori roll.”
Labour leader Chris Hipkins was handed a Te Pāti Māori beanie, and was offered a branded umbrella too, as he was invited to share a few words during the service.
“We’re here today to pay our respects to all of you,” Hipkins told the gathering. While he said he didn't need to wear a beanie today, he did say it was good to come together as friends from different parties.
The service itself was filled with waiata, music and light-hearted memories. Kemp, before she was an MP, had been deeply involved with South Auckland’s hip-hop community.
She danced when she was younger, and then went on to use hip-hop as a way to inspire rangatahi (young people).
Kemp had also been the chief executive of Manurewa Marae, which provided social support to families across South Auckland.
But her desire to help others led her beyond Auckland, with stories shared on Tuesday about her sailing a boat over floodwaters - carrying desperately needed baby formula - to help following floods on the East Coast.
As the time to bury Kemp grew closer, the grief became rawer and unmissable.
Waititi said her death must not be in vain, while her son urged others to continue supporting her work to restore tino rangatiratanga.
“The power is in our hands. We are not outnumbered. We are out-organised. Organise yourselves,” Waititi said.
“Make sure her message is not left on deaf ears. Tarsh, sister, I bid you goodnight. Until we meet again,” he said.
Her whānau, supported with haka and karakia, then guided Kemp to the grassy hill topped with a small chapel where her whānau urupā sits. From there, the sounds of sobbing, haka and final prayers echoed around the foothills of Ruahine Ranges.
Kemp’s death means a by-election will be held in Tāmaki Makaurau later this year. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon would need to confirm the date for the by-election.