Tirikatene was one of long-standing Labour MP Eruera Tirikatene’s 11 children. He was born at Rātana Pā, near Whanganui, and grew up in Rangiora, north Canterbury. Coming from Rātana it is unsurprising that he was interested in brass bands: he was a founding member of the Rātana Morehu Brass Band and the New Zealand Māori Brass Band.
HMV