Who is New Zealand’s New Queen?

AFP/APP
Ngaruawahia: New Zealand’s Māori chiefs anointed a 27-year-old queen as their new monarch Thursday, a surprising yet celebrated decision that symbolizes change for the country’s Indigenous community.
Nga Wai Hono I Te Po Paki ascended to the throne amid cheers from thousands during an elaborate ceremony on New Zealand’s North Island. She is the youngest daughter of King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, who passed away on Friday following heart surgery.
Selected by a council of chiefs, Nga Wai was escorted to the throne by a group of bare-chested, tattooed men wielding ceremonial weapons, chanting and shouting in acclamation. Wearing a wreath of leaves, a cloak, and a whalebone necklace, she sat beside her father’s coffin as prayers, chants, and rites were performed.
King Tuheitia had lain in state for six days before being taken down the Waikato River on a flotilla of war canoes. His funerary procession, witnessed by crowds along the riverbank, stopped at the foot of Mount Taupiri, where rugby teams acted as pallbearers to carry his coffin to the summit, the final resting place for past Māori royals.
Though the Māori monarchy is largely ceremonial without legal power, it holds significant cultural and political weight as a strong symbol of Māori identity and kinship. Nga Wai, as the king’s only daughter and youngest child, was considered an unexpected choice, as her elder brothers had assumed many ceremonial duties during their father’s illness and were expected to succeed him.
“It is certainly a break from traditional Māori leadership appointments, which tend to succeed to the eldest child, usually a male,” Māori cultural advisor Karaitiana Taiuru told AFP. He noted that it was a “privilege” to witness a young Māori woman ascend to the throne, especially given the ageing leadership and the community’s pressing challenges.
“The Māori world has been yearning for younger leadership to guide us in this era of AI, genetic modification, global warming, and other social changes,” Taiuru added. “These challenges require a new and younger generation to lead us.”
Māori make up roughly 17 percent of New Zealand’s population, facing higher rates of unemployment, poverty, health issues, and lower life expectancy than other New Zealanders. The Kiingitanga, or Māori King movement, was established in 1858 to unite Māori tribes and provide a counterpart to Britain’s monarchy.
“The Kiingitanga was created to build unity among tribes that had been fighting for thousands of years,” said Joanne Teina, who traveled from Auckland for the ceremony. “Now we just fight Europeans.”
Queen Nga Wai becomes the eighth Māori monarch and the second queen, following her grandmother Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, who reigned for four decades. The new queen studied Māori language and law at Waikato University and taught traditional performing arts to children.
King Tuheitia, a former truck driver turned royal, passed away shortly after heart surgery, leaving behind a legacy of unity built on respect and love.