Still in profound shock, she had just the clothes on her back.
It was 1990, and she had lived through one of New Zealand’s worst mass murders.
Ms Tamati’s adopted daughter Rewa Bryson (11), and her partner Garry Holden, were among the 13 people killed at Aramoana on November 13, 1990, in a mass shooting by David Gray.
More than three decades on, she hoped newly released standards for how government agencies should work with survivors would do more to help those struggling with trauma.
After the Aramoana tragedy there was no contact person, no case worker to help her deal with the tragedy and what came next.
"I had to go and get clothes to dress Garry in for his burial. I was in a state of shock ... My daughter’s school teacher from Otago Girls’ saw me sort of wandering and she parked her car.
"I didn’t have money on me. She took me to Hallensteins and she took me in and paid for it.
"It was things like that, that had a huge impact.
"Sometimes it’s just someone taking your hand and saying ‘come on, let’s go do this’."
Providing more cohesive support was one of the aims of the Working With Survivors model standards, which were released yesterday.
They were co-authored by the Stand With Pike Families Reference Group (FRG) and Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission.
They consulted with survivors of other disasters, including Aramoana, Cave Creek, the CTV building, the Christchurch terror attack and the White Island eruption.
The standards lay out expectations around transparency, communication, support and empowering survivors.
While she was not involved in the consultation process, Ms Tamati was pleased with the aims of the new standards.
She hoped there would be more transparency, and that survivors would be empowered to have a voice.
She was not offered counselling in the aftermath of Aramoana, instead seeking it out about three years later, she said.
Members of her family, including her teenage children who did not live with her, did not receive enough support either.
Victim Support existed but was "very new", and a community police officer would visit while she was still living in Aramoana.
"If there was a key person, like a case worker ... so that there was consistency and consistency in information that we got and things like that. The police were absolutely wonderful, but they were going through trauma as well."
The new standards were released nearly 12 years after 29 men died at Pike River mine.
Anna Osborne, whose husband Milton died in the mine, said she and other Pike family members initiated the standards because they saw the same mistakes being made over and over.
She wanted to make sure survivors and families had the support they needed.
"We just don't want anyone to ever end up having to go through what we did — it's appalling. We wanted to memorialise our men as well, we didn't just want to walk away and say ‘that's it now’."
The rules were written by past survivors for future survivors, she said.
Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little said disasters were not just pages in New Zealand’s history books.
"They are real stories of loss for Kiwi families and survivors.
"They are calls for us to learn the lessons and do what we can to prevent future disasters and better support survivors when they need it most."
Pike River survivors had felt let down by the state following the 2010 disaster, and it was hoped the new expectations would ensure agencies were upfront and empowered survivors.
“It means following and supporting the journey survivors go through. In the immediate aftermath, it’s about the necessities of life and reuniting loved ones.
"Next it’s helping with the adjustment to the new normal.
"Finally, it’s getting to the bottom of what happened, learning from it, and promoting healing."
- Additional reporting RNZ
