New Zealand’s Indigenous Maori community has crowned a new queen, Nga Wai Hono i te Po Paki, following the death of their seventh monarch, King Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII. The 27-year-old was chosen as “Kuini” by a council of Maori chiefs during a ceremony in the country’s North Island, becoming the second-ever Maori queen in the eight-dynasty reign of the Kiingitanga movement. The indigenous community has called her the “new dawn” following her father’s passing.
Nga Wai Hono i te Po Paki, the youngest child of King Tuheitia, who died in his sleep at age 69, ascended the throne on the final morning of her father’s six-day tangihanga (funeral). It’s worth noting that while the late King had two sons, the role of monarch is not automatically inherited.
The new queen, a graduate of Waikato University with a master’s degree in Maori cultural studies, received her traditional chin tattoo, known as “moko kauae,” at the age of 19 as a gift to her father. She is the second-youngest monarch in Maoridom and has been a close companion to her father in numerous events over the past several years.
The Kiingitanga dynasty was established in 1858 as a means to resist colonization and safeguard Maori culture and land. While the dynasty holds no legal mandate and the monarch’s role is largely ceremonial, the monarch is still considered the paramount chief of several tribes. Tekau-Maa-Rua chairman Che Wilson emphasized the significance of the ceremony, which dates back eight generations, stating, “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.”
Nga Wai Hono i te Po Paki’s reign comes at a time when the Maori community is increasingly vocal about its rights and cultural preservation in New Zealand. The Maori community has been actively involved in opposing policies perceived as undermining Maori rights, particularly since the election of New Zealand’s conservative National Party-led government in October. Last year, thousands protested against the government’s plans to reverse policies that had strengthened Indigenous rights, including proposals to close the Maori Health Authority, which was established during Jacinda Ardern’s Labour government.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, praised King Tuheitia as a leader “whose commitment to Māori and all New Zealanders has been felt right across the country.” However, he was in South Korea and missed the king’s funeral. The new queen’s approach to these challenges will be closely observed.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi lawyer Annette Sykes, a strong advocate for Maori rights, expressed her belief that the new queen embodies the future, stating, “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 further added, “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.”
