21/11/2025
TE PĀTAKA O WAIRAU LOCAL LEGEND AWARD
👏 ⭐️
Tonight, we have the privilege of honouring someone who embodies manaakitanga, aroha, and unwavering dedication to our whānau and our community. This person has been a steady presence for so many of us — someone who stands beside us in moments of grief and guides us through times when words are hard to find.
As a representative for Ōtamawaho urupā, he has been there whenever our whānau gather to farewell our loved ones. With compassion and dignity, he helps uphold our tikanga, ensuring our tūpuna and those who have passed are cared for in the way they deserve. In times of sadness, he offers calm and wisdom — a reminder that we are never alone.
His service to our people also extends to the 28th Māori Battalion Committee, where he helps carry forward the legacy of courage, sacrifice, and pride shown by those who served before us. Through this mahi, he keeps their stories alive for our rangatahi, ensuring our history remains connected to our whakapapa and the identity of who we are as Māori.
His commitment to kaitiakitanga can be seen in his role on the Springlands Streams Governance Group, where he lends his voice to the protection and wellbeing of our local waterways — the taonga that sustain our communities and our future.
Beyond these roles, his life has been one of hard work, responsibility, and leadership. He spent many years as a customs officer in Wellington, commuting back to Blenheim whenever he could. After that, he became a full-time sheep and cattle farmer on the Wither Hills. He later took over his father’s farm, growing mostly grapes along with kiwifruit and cherries — becoming the first Māori grape grower in Blenheim.
His dedication to serving whānau continued through his long association with Shone & Shirley Funeral Directors in Whakatū, where he still works part time. He once owned Haven Fish n Chips in Nelson, and after selling the shop, he worked as a forklift driver handling apples and pears in the local packhouses. Today, he continues part time with Shone & Shirley in semi-retirement.
Over the years, he has also uplifted our people through sport with his involvement in the Te Tauihu Māori Rugby Komiti, and he has shown respected leadership as a Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge — a testament to his integrity, commitment, and mana within the wider community.
And yet, what truly sets him apart is his warmth. He brings humour, light, and joy into every space he enters. Whether through a joke, a story, or simply his presence, he lifts the spirits of those around him and reminds us of the beauty in being together.
For his unwavering service, his leadership, his mahi for the land and for our people, and for the laughter he gifts us so generously — we are proud to present this award to our uncle, our cousin, our mentor, our friend… Lawrence MacDonald 🥰
Tēnā koe, e te rangatira. Ngā mihi maioha mō tō mahi, tō aroha, me tō kaha ki te tautoko i a tātou katoa.
