Smear Your Mea campaigner and kapa haka star Talei Morrison has lost her battle with cervical cancer.
Photo: Supplied / Twitter
Ms Morrison passed away this morning after she confirmed her cancer spread to other parts of her body.
The Te Arawa haka perfomer used her own experience with cervical cancer to encourage her fellow female kaihaka, or haka performers, around the country to have a cervical smear test.
Today the regional kapa haka competition for the Tāmaki Makaurau, or Auckland region, was held and many groups, including previous national champions, Te Waka Huia, paid tribute to Talei.
Ms Morrison said when she started her treatment last year she didn't want anyone else to experience what she did because she said it was awful.
After a bad experience while having a regular smear test she decided never to have another one again, then last year was diagnosed with cervical cancer
"My last smear was in 2008 at a clinic in Hamilton, the nurse that performed it nipped me and I started to bleed, it was sore, I was hōhā [fed up] and decided that I would never have another one," she said.
Ms Morrison was passionate about being Māori, kapa haka and being healthy. This year was the first time in 19 years she didn't perform at the regional Te Arawa Kapa Haka competition because of her cervical cancer, a reality which brought her to tears.
"I started performing for Te Mātārae I Ōrehu in 1999, it's hard particularly because my kids are just coming into their own as performers and we haven't seen the best of them yet and just to know I can't be next to them on stage and I can't be supporting them in their journey.
"I'm not there now and it's so stupid, the reason is so stupid and it makes me really mad that I left my smear for so long."
She asked all women who go to have smear test to take a photo of themselves after their appointment with a sign which says #Smearyourmea, the area their kapa haka team represents and doing a V hand sign.
Ms Morrison will be taken to Te Papa-i-Ouru marae in Rotorua tomorrow where she'll lay in state until her funeral on Wednesday.