Dr Sharples led kapa haka groups at sporting and cultural events throughout the country. He was instrumental in saving many young Maori from a life of crime and despair by providing them with a creative outlet, along with educational opportunities, which many will still remember. The man has mana.
However, there comes a time when all leaders should recognise their drawing power is waning, and yesterday Dr Sharples acknowledged publicly that his time was up, and he resigned as the Maori Party's co-leader.
The resignation is for the purposes of unity in the wake of uncertainty over the party's leadership, which seemed to spill over into its result in last weekend's Ikaroa-Rawhiti by-election. The party was pushed into third place behind Labour and Mana, a result which prompted soul-searching within Maoridom.
It is too easy to speculate that the combined votes of Maori and Mana supporters would have claimed the seat if the parties were one. Left-leaning Mana voters would in fact have more likely voted Labour because of the perception the current Maori Party executive is an offshoot of the National Party.
Having Prime Minister John Key endorsing the Maori Party candidate, then forgetting his name, will have done the party no favours in the eyes of some voters.
Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia earlier indicated she would retire at the next election, opening the position up for some new energy. Dr Sharples previously said he would stay as co-leader until he died.
A different sort of death occurred when the party slipped behind the Mana Party in the by-election. Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell is likely to replace Dr Sharples after the party's conference in a fortnight. Certainly, though, the two retirements have cast doubt on whether the party will be able to rebuild, given it is under fire for its relationship with National.
Labour MP Shane Jones, who narrowly lost to Dr Sharples at the last election, is not surprisingly saying Labour can win all Maori seats next year, something which will undoubtedly fire up both Mr Flavell and Mana's Hone Harawira. Political talk is cheap.
Mr Jones is possibly the person Labour will pick to stand in Tamaki Makaurau, an urban-based electorate in Auckland vacated by Dr Sharples. Being co-leader will improve Mr Flavell's chances of retaining his Waiariki electorate, and Mr Harawira is likely to hold his Te Tai Tokerau seat. The real battleground will be for Mrs Turia's seat.
Mrs Turia said talk the by-election result was the end of the Maori Party was merely politicking. Labour lost more than 50% of its vote in Ikaroa-Rawhiti and the Maori Party had held its 2011 levels of support. Maori people needed to consider what they wanted - to continue living a life of activism standing on the sidelines, or someone progressing issues.
If there is a lesson in this for any party, it is Labour.
For years, the party held a vice-like grip on Maori seats thanks to its strong ties with Ratana. Current National MP Tau Henare broke the grip as a New Zealand First candidate, followed by NZ First sweeping the seats. The Maori Party held a majority of the seats when Mr Key took power, and by working with National, managed to provide some wins for Maori in general.
Mrs Turia had earlier left the Labour Party frustrated by her lack of achievements within a party she felt took Maori for granted. Dr Sharples says he was not pushed into making his decision, but believes it is in the best interests of the party. The majority of Maori Party supporters are under 35 years of age, and it is essential that voice comes through.
No matter how the voting goes at the next election, what must not be allowed to happen is for complex politics - or words rather than decisive action - to destroy the chance of another generation of Maori succeeding. Young Maori feature in nearly all of the worst statistics published. The legacy left by Dr Sharples is one of achievement for his people. That must not be wasted on cheap political point-scoring.
