Māori queen Nga Wai Hono i te po Paki crowned in ‘new dawn’ for New Zealand

The second ever Māori queen in the eight-dynasty reign of the Kiingitanga movement in New Zealand has ascended to the throne in an emotional ceremony attended by thousands at Turangawaewae marae, Report informs referring to The Guardian.

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.