Tokorima ngā Māori i whakaae kia whakahoungia ai ā ratou taitara e te Kawanatanga o Aotearoa. Ki te Whare Karakia tawhito o Hato Paora i Te Whanganui ā Tara ka whakawhiwhia ki a Tā Wira Gardiner, Tā Tumu te Heuheu, Tā Hirini Moko Mead, Tā Edward Taihakurei Durie rātou ko Kahurangi Doris Vercoe ā rātou taitara hou.

He mea whakawhiwhi ngā karangatanga hou e te Kāwana Tianara a Tā Anand Satyanand hei whakamānawa i ā rātou mahi nui ki te hāpai i ngā iwi.

I whakawhiwhia te tohu ki a Tā Wira mō ana mahi nui i roto i ngā tari kāwanatanga pērā i Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi me Te Puni Kōkiri hoki. I mahi nui a ia ki te āwhina me te tautoko i te whanaungatanga i waenganui i ngā iwi me te Kāwanatanga.

“Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē, ko te tautoko a taku whānau me aku hoa maha te pūtakenga o tēnei taitara,” e ai ki a Tā Wira.

“Ka noho whakaiti au i runga i te humārietanga, i te wāhi kotahi ko ngā rangatira o Aotearoa whānui kua roa nei e whai ana i te pae tawhiti o ā rātou mahi katoa hei oranga mō Aotearoa,” hei tāna.

I whakawhiwhia te tohu nei ki a Tā Tumu mō ana mahi tiaki taiao, ahakoa te nui o ngā mahi kua tutuki i a ia hei Ariki mō Ngāti Tūwharetoa, mō Aotearoa whānui. Kua roa nei a Tā Eddie e ārahi ana i Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi me Te Kooti Whenua Māori, e hia kē ngā nohonga kooti i whakawāngia e ia.

I whakawhiwhia te taitara ki a Kahurangi Doris mō ngā mahi a tana hoa rangatira a Pīhopa Whakahuihui Vercoe i roto i te hāhi. I tohua ko ia te Pīhopa tuawhā o Aotearoa i te tau 1981.

I riro i a Tā Hirini tana taitara mō ana mahi nui i roto i te ao mātauranga. He mātanga whakaako, he kaituhi pukapuka. Ko ia hoki te pouārahi kokoraho mō Ngāti Awa.