Tā (Sir) Tamati Reedy, a Ngāti Porou leader and celebrated academic, has died aged 89.

Reedy, who was knighted for his services to education in his hometown, Ruatoria, was a member of the Waitangi Tribunal and a former Māori All Black.

Reedy was the secretary of the Māori Affairs Department from 1983 to 1989 and was heavily involved in the kōhanga reo movement.

He held that role during the establishment of the Māori Language Act in 1987 which led to te reo Māori being recognised as an official language.

He led an extensive career in secondary schooling, became a Fulbright scholar and helped develop a landmark curriculum, Te Whāriki, which formed the basis for bicultural early childhood learning.

In 2010, Reedy became the University of Waikato’s first Māori Emeritus Professor and was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal that same year.

A Waitangi Tribunal hearing at Trinity Wharf Tauranga regarding the future of the wrecked ship Rena. From left: Ron Crosby, Judge Sarah Reeves, Professor Sir Tamati Reedy and Sir Douglas Kidd.

In a Facebook post, Reedy’s family announced his death and upcoming service arrangements for his tangihanga.

Tributes and expressions of grief have also come from the Kiingitanga and Te Pāti Māori among others.

Reedy and wife Kahurangi Tilly Reedy were both Ngāti Porou, and have eight children together. They are both celebrated for their contribution to Māori education and kōhanga reo.

As well as a former rugby representative, Reedy had a deep involvement with the Aotearoa Māori Tennis Association.

In 2007, he and Lady Tilly Reedy donated funds to establish the Ngā Purapura Trust to provide financial assistance to outstanding Māori tennis players.

At the time of his investiture in 2011, Māori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples said Reedy had combined “the strength of a rural Ngāti Porou East Coast background with an outstanding academic career, which he has devoted to the advancement of Māori in education, public administration, iwi development and Māori-Crown relationships.

“Underpinning his glittering career is an incomparable command of te reo and deep insight into tikanga Māori.”