The second ever Māori queen in the eight-monarch reign of the Kiingitanga movement in New Zealand has ascended to the throne in an emotional ceremony attended by thousands at Turangawaewae marae.
On Thursday morning Māori leaders hailed her as the “new dawn”.
Nga Wai Hono i te po Paki, the only daughter and youngest child of the former Māori King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, was revealed as the new queen on the final morning of the six-day tangihanga (funeral) of her father, marking the beginning of a new generation in the resistance movement.
Kiingi Tuheitea died peacefully in his sleep on Friday, aged 69, after heart surgery.
At the Te Whakawahinga (raising up) ceremony in the small town of Ngāruawāhia, Nga Wai Hono i te po Paki, 27, was ushered to the throne by the Kiingitanga advisory council, a group of 12 elders from assorted tribes who chose her as their queen. The role is not automatically inherited, and the late Kiingi Tuheitea also has two sons.
Tekau-Maa-Rua chairman Che Wilson said Te Whakawahinga was an important ceremony dating back eight generations. “We follow the tikanga of our ancestors who created the Kiingitanga to unify and uplift our people and we have chosen Nga Wai Hono i te po as our new monarch.” She was anointed with sacred oils and blessed with the Bible used to crown the first Māori king in 1858.
Nga Wai Hono i te po Paki has a masters of Māori cultural studies from Waikato University, and received her moko kauae (chin tattoo) at aged 19 as a gift to her father and the years he spent on the throne. The second-youngest monarch in Māoridom, Nga Wai hono i te po Paki had been close to her father’s side to many events in the past several years, and tears and joy greeted the news of her crowning at Ngāruawāhia, Stuff reported.
The Kiingitanga was founded in 1858 as a force to resist colonisation and try to preserve Māori culture and land. It has no legal mandate and while the monarch role is largely ceremonial, it is also considered to be the paramount chief of several tribes.
Since the election of New Zealand’s conservative National party-led government in October, the Kiingitanga has played an increasingly prominent role in bringing Māori together in opposition to proposed policies considered by many to be a rollback of Māori rights. Kiingi Tuheitea called a series of nationwide meetings to protest these and proposed changes to the principles of the Treaty, and was considered to be a beacon of hope.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi lawyer Annette Sykes, who has spent her career fighting for the rights of Māori, said the new Queen represents the future she has been aiming for.
“She’s inspiring, the revitalisation and reclamation of our language has been a 40 year journey for most of us and she epitomises that, it is her first language, she speaks it with ease. Political, economic and social wellbeing for our people is at the heart of what she wants and in many ways she is like her grandmother, who was adored by the nation.”
Sykes said it was exciting that the council of men had chosen a woman to lead, which would not have been a foregone conclusion.
“She’s the new dawn, and the deliberations that took part over a few days over a wise council of advisers that made the decision for the motu, for the Māori world, must be congratulated.
“We’ve all watched her grow up, she’s very humble, I’ve watched her mature into this woman who has this thirst for authentic knowledge and brings this into the modern world. She’s someone who wears Gucci, and she wears moko kauae. She is leading us into uncharted and turbulent waters, and she will do it with aplomb.”
Nga Wai Hono i te Po Paki met then Prince Charles in London in 2022, and told Re: News she had taken the trip to honour her ancestors, but that it had been difficult reflecting on the brutal impacts of colonisation on Māori in New Zealand. “I’ll be honest, my greatest desire of all is for all Māori land to be returned to Māori.”
Kiingi Tuheitea’s mother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, became the first Māori queen in 1966.
Kiingi Tuheitea’s body was flanked by a guard of honour including local tribe Ngaati Maahanga and the New Zealand defence force to the Waikato river, where a flotilla of waka was taking him to the sacred Taupiri mountain for burial.
• This article was amended on 5 September 2024. An earlier version said that Nga Wai Hono i te po Paki was part of an “eight-dynasty” reign when monarch was meant. The spelling of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu’s name was also corrected.
