Ngâwai Hono I Te Pô Paki crowned the Māori Queen after her father’s death!
The seventh monarch of the Māori community in New Zealand, King Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII died last month. And the nation is still mourning his death. His youngest daughter, Ngâwai Hono I Te Pô Paki has been crowned the Queen after her father.
Ngâwai Hono I Te Pô Paki crowned the eighth Māori monarch
Ngâwai Hono I Te Pô Paki has succeeded her father, King Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII who died on 30 August 2024. The Māori community in New Zealand has newly crowned her as their queen.
The queen is the eighth Māori monarch and the second queen of the Māori dynasty. The first queen was her grandmother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu.
Ngâwai Hono I Te Pô is 27 years old now and a council of New Zealand’s indigenous Māori chiefs selected her as their Kuini.
Additionally, there was an elaborate ceremony at that time. Ngâwai Hono I Te Pô, the youngest daughter of the deceased King, sat on a carved wooden throne in front of her father’s coffin.
She wore a headdress of leaves and put a cloak on during the ceremony. The people announced her as their queen at a special gathering held at Tûrangawaewae Marae, the main seat of the Kiingitanga or Māori king movement.
Death of the King and tributes
King Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII had undergone a heart surgery recently. He was recuperating from it but succumbed on 30 August 2024, a few days after the 18th anniversary of his coronation.
His body lay in state for six days and there was a seven days mourning in the country. He was buried on the sacred Mount Taupiri.
The king had been recovering from heart surgery in hospital when he died, just days after celebrating the 18th anniversary of his coronation.
His tribal people expressed their sadness at the death of their beloved King who had put forward the demands of and worked tirelessly for the people of his community and their development.
Chris Hipkins, New Zealand’s opposition Labour Party leader stated:
“Our country will be in mourning,”
“He was a fantastic king with a wicked sense of humour, but also a very good man… with a real focus on bringing New Zealanders together.”
Christopher Luxon, New Zealand’s prime minister was away in South Korea during the funeral. But he also hailed the King:
“King Tuheitia was a leader whose commitment to Māori and all New Zealanders has been felt right across the country.”
The King reign lasted from 2006 until his death in 2024.
Personal life of the King
The deceased King was married and his wife was Te Atawhai. She is the patron of the Māori Women’s Welfare League from the year 2007. Moreover, she also heads Te Kohao Health, a Māori public health organisation.
The couple had three children. They are eldest son Whatumoana, second son Korotangi, and their only daughter and youngest child, Ngā Wai Hono i te Po.
Maori cultural adviser Karaitiana Taiuru felt privileged to watch a young Māori woman being crowned the Queen. He said:
“The Māori world has been yearning for younger leadership to guide us in the new world of AI, genetic modification, global warming and in a time of many other social changes that question and threaten us and Indigenous Peoples of New Zealand,”
Further, he continued:
“These challenges require a new and younger generation to lead us.”
The New Queen was a student of the New Zealand’s Waikato University. She procured a Master of Arts degree in Tikanga (societal lore of) Maori. In 2016, she had made a traditional tattoo on her chin.
