Chief of Army pays tribute to fallen soldier Lieutenant Colonel Oiroa Kaihau

"Kua hinga te tōtara i te wao nui a Tāne."

E te rangatira, e te poutokomanawa o Ngāti Tūmatauenga, kua tangi te ngākau, kua hotu te manawa i tō wehenga. Kua pouri te ao, kua whati te rā i tō wehenga.

Haere atu rā ki te waka o rātou mā, ki te pō nui, ki te pō roa. Haere ki te kāinga tūturu o te tangata, ki ngā ringaringa o te hunga mate, ki te korowai aroha o ngā tūpuna e tatari ana. Moe mai i te okiokinga mutunga kore, kei reira te rangimārie.

Haere atu rā, e te toa. Haere ki tua o te ārai, haere ki ngā rangi tūhāhā.

Haere, haere, haere atu rā.

E te rangatira, pillar of Ngāti Tūmatauenga, our hearts grieve, our breath catches in sorrow at your passing. The world is dimmed, the sun has set with your departure.

Go now to the great canoe of those who have gone before, to the eternal night, the long night. Go to the final resting place of humanity, into the embrace of those who await you, into the cloak of our ancestors. Sleep now in everlasting peace, where tranquility lies.

Go now, mighty warrior. Cross beyond the veil, journey to the sacred heavens.

Farewell, farewell, farewell.

It is with profound sadness that Ngāti Tūmatauenga mourns the loss of Lieutenant Colonel Oiroa Kaihau, an Army veteran with thirty five years of experience in uniform and a pillar of wisdom and support within our organisation.

He passed suddenly over the weekend aged 59.

Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with his whānau and friends as they try to come to terms with an immeasurable loss; that of their friend, brother, husband, father and koro.

His passing will also be mourned by his Ngāti Tūmatauenga whānau, with whom he played a key role as a comrade, a leader, a mentor and a good friend.

Lieutenant Colonel Kaihau enlisted with the New Zealand Army in January 1986, completing the New Zealand Commissioning Course in Waiouru before graduating as a Second Lieutenant into the Royal New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, which later became the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment.

Over the course of his career Lieutenant Colonel Kaihau held numerous command and staff positions across the Regiment, Army General Staff and at HQNZDF in Wellington.

His operational experience was significant, and his record of service is a mark of the deep respect and trust placed in him not only by the NZDF and his Army colleagues, but also our international partners, with whom he worked closely on numerous occasions.

Lieutenant Colonel Kaihau deployed overseas operationally on seven occasions; to Bosnia in 1995 as a maintenance commander; to Laos in 1998 as a logistic technical advisor; to the National Support Element in Darwin in support of NZDF operations in Timor Leste in 2001 as its commander; to the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq as a military advisor on two occasions in 2005 and 2012 and; two deployments to Afghanistan in 2008 and 2018, as the National Support Element Commander and as a Battalion Command mentor respectively.

These experiences not only shaped his own successful military career, but formed an integral part of the mentoring role he provided for so many in Army and the wider NZDF over the years.

His lived experiences turned into valuable lessons that he brought back to Aotearoa, and shared with his comrades and colleagues, for the betterment of our organisation.

Lieutenant Colonel Kaihau spent a number of years out of active service in the Army Standby Reserves, where he took up roles at Massey University in their Defence and Security Studies Department.

Over the course of two separate tenures he worked as a lecturer supporting students at the Royal Brunei Command and Staff College and held significant responsibilities in managing key military relationships.

But first and foremost, he was a soldier. On both occasions whilst at Massey University, he answered the call to return to the Regular Force when his expertise was required for significant overseas postings to Iraq and Afghanistan.

His final overseas deployment to Afghanistan in 2018 saw him operate in a Battalion Command level mentoring role in the Afghan National Army Officer Academy, sharing his invaluable wealth of experience with others as part of the multi-national mission.

He completed a Masters Degree in Defence and Strategic Studies from Massey University in 2005.

In June 2022, Lieutenant Colonel Kaihau was posted as Chief of Staff to Headquarters Defence Logistics Command, where he continued to help shape the next generation of leaders, and still had so much value and a wealth of knowledge to share.

He had only recently started in his latest position as Senior Māori Advisor within the Officer of the Chief of Defence Force, and we were all excited to see the results he could achieve and the passion he would bring to that role.

His selfless leadership and his mana will never be forgotten, and his legacy within Ngāti Tūmatauenga will always remain steadfast.

E te whānau o Ngāti Tūmatauenga, kua hinga te tōtara, kua mahue he wāhi kore e whakakīa. Ahakoa te mamae, me te pouri, ka whakanuia tonutia e tātou te māhi nui a LTCOL Oiroa Kaihau—tōna rangatiratanga, tōna ratonga, me tōna ū ki tō tātou iwi.

I a tātou e poroporoaki ana i tō tātou rangatira, me kawe tonu i ngā uara i noho ai ia. Me tū kaha, me tū tika, me tū tira, me tū māia.

Tū Kaha, Tū Tika, Tū Tira, Tū Māia.

Moe mai rā, e te rangatira. Ka maumahara tonu mātou ki a koe.

E te whānau o Ngāti Tūmatauenga, a great tōtara has fallen, leaving a space that can never be filled. Though we grieve, we also honour the legacy of LTCOL Oiroa Kaihau—his leadership, his service, and his unwavering commitment to our people.

As we farewell our rangatira, let us carry forward the values he lived by. Let us stand strong, act with integrity, move as one, and have the courage to lead.

Tū Kaha, Tū Tika, Tū Tira, Tū Māia.

Rest well, e te rangatira. We will always remember you.