Te Kepa Takataka-o-Rangi Stirling, a pioneering Māori educator and staunch advocate for te reo Māori me ōna tikanga, has died aged 88.

A proud descendant of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and Ngāti Porou, he was an uncompromising champion of Māori maintaining their identity and succeeding in education.

Te Kepa and his late wife, Pani Takawhenua Waipapa Stirling, forged pathways for generations of Māori educators and ākonga.

He joined Ngā Tapuwae College as a kaiako of physical education and Māori. His wife, Pani, had joined the college the previous year as head of the Māori department.

Over the years, the couple developed Te Whare Awhina a programme that incorporated a whānau-centred approach to education.

Te Whare Āwhina evolved into Te Reo Rua o Ngā Tapuwae, which became a school within a school as Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae in 1996, before eventually gaining independence as a Kura-ā-Iwi.

Stirling also developed Te Whare Wānanga Pupuri Kōrero o Ngā Tapuwae, which became a hub for Māori whānau and the wider community.

In 2005, Te Kepa and Pani Stirling were each awarded the Queen's Service Medal for their contribution to the community.

Their daughter, Arihia Stirling, continues to carry their legacy forward through her own successful career in Māori education and as tumuaki of Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae.

The ripple effect of their work will continue inspiring generations to come,

Those wishing to pay tribute in Tāmaki Makaurau will be able to do so at Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae, with pōwhiri being held at 10am, 1pm and 4pm on Monday.

Te Kepa will then return to Wairūrū Marae in Raukōkore, Waihau Bay where he will lie until Thursday, 20 August.