He kotahi tau i muri i te rironga o Kahurangi Tariana Turia ki te pō, ā, ka huihui tōna whānau ki te hura i tōna kohatu maumaharatanga. 

Neke atu i te rua rau tāngata ka tae atu ki te marae o Whangaehu ki waho atu o Whanganui ki te rā hura kohatu o te Kaiārahi Takirua o-mua o Te Pāti Māori.

Ka tākina ko ngā whakamoemiti e Apotoro Kamaka Manuel o Te Hāhi Ratana, ā, ka huraina ngā kohatu e rua.  Ko te kohatu tuarua ko te mokopuna tonu a Kahurangi Tariana Turia, ko Pakaitore Turia toru tekau tana pakeke ka riro nei ia .

Ka mate te tokorua nei i te tīmatanga o tērā tau, ka mate te mareikura i te mate īkura roro i te tuatoru o ngā rā o Hanuere, ā, ka mate whakamomori tana mokopuna i te mutunga o taua mārama.

Nā whai anō ka huraina ngatahitia ai e te whānau i ngā kohatu e rua ki te urupā o te marae o Whangaehu.   

Turia Whānau unveil headstones for Dame Tariana and her mokopuna Pakaitore

The unveiling day is being described as a significant step in the mourning process by Dame Tariana’s son, Pahia Turia.

“When you put a stone on it it makes it seem more real, you know, but having everyone here you know we’ve had massive support over the last year from so many people, I think today is an opportunity to thank them for their love and support to our family,” he said.

The dual loss in early 2025, with the deaths occurring in close succession, created a uniquely challenging period for the family. Pahia reflected on the difficulty of navigating grief for two significant people simultaneously.

“Just them dying so close together and just how Boy died, don’t really think you know, didn’t really have time to mourn for our mother because it sort of got taken over by Boy’s passing and we lost our other Mum Nanny Al,” he said.

For Pakaitore’s sister, Taikarera Turia, seeing the headstones cemented the reality of the loss as well. “It almost makes it a bit more real now, seeing his face on a headstone, seeing Nan’s name on a headstone, makes it a lot more real,” she said.

“I think this year’s given us a lot of time to heal, I don’t know that you can ever heal from something like that but we’re getting there,” Taikarera said.

With the memorial stones now in place, the Turia whānau leave Whangaehu with a permanent site of aroha and remembrance, a shared stone that gathers the history, loss, and legacy of two cherished generations.