Hiwi Tauroa.

Probably not too many people know who the hell Hiwi Tauroa is these days, but the legacy of his work will live on as long as there's a New Zealand.

For many years, Hiwi was the principal and driving force behind Wesley College, New Zealand's oldest school. Wesley is the home of several hundred Maori and Pacific Island boys as they complete their secondary education. Many of the boys return to their homes in the islands and become leaders themselves and such is Hiwi's force of personality that he shaped many influential lives.

After Wesley, Hiwi was our first Race Relations conciliator. Being Maori himself, Hiwi was the perfect fit into the role, bringing all races to dialogue. Would that our current conciliator had half the ability of a Hiwi.

Aside from his stellar career, what sets Hiwi apart from the mundane is the time and energy he expended on getting the best out of people. Helping others comes as naturally to him as breathing does to most of us.

He forged links with many ethnic groups and gave his time equally to all.

In a time of ongoing poor relations between racial groups, we probably need to Bring Back Hiwi!

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