Maori chiefs have crowned the 27-year-old daughter of their deceased former king as his successor in a surprise choice that has been praised for reflecting modern values.
Thousands celebrated Nga Wai Hono i te po Paki’s anointment in an emotional ceremony in New Zealand’s North Island.
She is the only daughter and youngest child of 69-year-old Maori King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, who died in his sleep last Thursday while recovering from heart surgery.
Nga Wai Hono i te po Paki is the second ever Maori queen in the eight-monarch reign of the Kiingitanga movement, dating back to 1858.
The appointment of Queen Nga Wai was largely unexpected, with most believing one of her elder brothers Whatumoana or Korotangi would be next in line.
Whatumoana had already taken on many of his father’s ceremonial duties during the late king’s periods of illness.
‘It is certainly a break from traditional Maori leadership appointments which tend to succeed to the eldest child, usually a male,’ Maori cultural advisor Karaitiana Taiuru told AFP.
Mr Taiuru said it was a ‘privilege’ to witness the young queen’s appointment, hoping she would guide the Maori community through the new challenges of the technical era.
‘The Maori 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,’ he said.
She was elected by the council of chiefs and ascended a tall, wooden throne on Thursday morning (local time), on the final day of the seven-day funeral for Kiingi Tuheitia.
Nga Wai, wearing a wreath, cloak and whalebone necklace, was ushered to the throne in the small town of Ngaruawahia, reportedly flanked by chanting, shirtless Maori men carrying ceremonial weapons.
Her traditional ‘moko’ chin tattoo seen in the ceremonies was inked back in 2016 to mark the anniversary of her father’s coronation.
Queen Nga Wai then took part in her father’s final funeral rites following the ascension ceremonies.
She sat beside his coffin on a carved war canoe, rowed by 21 men.
A flotilla of smaller, traditional canoes ushered them down the Waikato river, manned by a dozen rowers each.
The procession stopped at the base of sacred Mount Taupiri before players from three rugby teams carried Kiingi Tuheitia’s coffin, draped in feathered cloaks, up the steep mountain to the summit.
The events marked the end of a weeklong tangihanga (funeral rite) for the leader who had in recent months rallied New Zealand’s Indigenous people to unify in the face of a more racially divisive political culture.
Kiwi leaders applauded the election of Queen Nga Wai.
New Zealand Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said the torch had been passed ‘from one legendary unifier to another’.
‘Kuīni Ngā Wai Hono i te po Paki commands an incredible wealth of mātauranga Māori, a love for Toi Māori and is committed to looking after her people,’ he said, according to Stuff.
‘As the youngest child of Kiingi Tūheitia and Te Makau Ariki Atawhai, Kuīni Ngā Wai Hono i te po Paki follows an incredible and historic legacy before her of predecessors who have helped shape and influence Aotearoa New Zealand’s cultural identity as a nation,’ Hipkins said.
Kiwi Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the new Queen would bring ‘hope’.
‘We welcome the Upoko Ariki, Ngawai Hono i te po, who carries forward the mantle of leadership left by her father. The path ahead is illuminated by the great legacy of Kiingi Tuheitia,’ he said in a statement.
The Maori monarch’s position was founded in 1858, aiming to be a unifying movement for all Maori tribes.
Queen Nga Wai’s grandmother, Queen Te Arikiniui Dame Te Atairangikaahu was the only previous Maori Queen, and held the position for over four decades.
Queen Nga Wai studied Maori language and customary law at Waikato University in Hamilton on the North Island. She has worked teaching traditional Maori performing arts.