Te Kīngitanga
Origins of the Māori King Movement
The Kīngitanga, or Māori King movement, was founded in 1858 with the aim of uniting Māori under a single sovereign. Waikato is the seat of the Kīngitanga.
Traditionally, Māori did not have a central monarchy. Iwi and hapū were independent and led by rangatira. During the 1850s, increasing pressure from European settlement, combined with a lack of Māori political power, motivated Māori leaders to seek unity under a king.
In 1853, Mātene Te Whiwhi and Tāmihana Te Rauparaha travelled throughout Te Ika-a-Māui seeking a suitable rangatira to become king. In 1856, at Pūkawa on the southern shores of Lake Taupō, the Waikato chief Pōtatau Te Wherowhero was nominated. Although initially reluctant, he was formally declared king in 1858 at Ngāruawāhia.
Historic Importance of the Kīngitanga
Tāwhiao became the second Māori King in 1860, following the death of his father, Pōtatau. His reign coincided with the Waikato Wars, a defining period for the Kīngitanga.
In 1863, government troops invaded Waikato. Tāwhiao and his followers retreated south into what became known as the King Country. They returned to Waikato in 1881.
In 1884, Tāwhiao travelled to London to seek Queen Victoria’s support for the return of confiscated Māori land. He also established the annual poukai, visits to Kīngitanga marae, and founded the Kauhanganui, the Kīngitanga parliament.
Tāwhiao died in 1894 and was succeeded by his son, Mahuta. Mahuta died in 1912, followed by his son, Te Rata. Te Rata also travelled to London, but King George V stated that land confiscations were a matter for the New Zealand government.
Korokī became king in 1933 and hosted Queen Elizabeth II at Tūrangawaewae marae in 1953. Upon his death in 1966, his daughter Piki was crowned as Queen Te Atairangikaahu. She reigned until her death in 2006, after which her son succeeded her.
Who Was Kīngi Tūheitia?
Kīngi Tūheitia (1955–2024), full regnal name Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (birth name Tūheitia Paki), reigned as Māori King from 2006 until his death on 30 August 2024, aged 69.
His death occurred less than two weeks after hosting his eighteenth koroneihana, the annual celebration of his coronation. He had been recovering in hospital following cardiac surgery. By order of the New Zealand government, flags on public buildings were flown at half-mast.
His body lay in state at Tūrangawaewae marae. Following the enthronement of his successor, his body was carried in procession to the Waikato River and placed aboard the waka Tātahi Ora. The waka travelled downstream to Taupiri Maunga, where he was buried in an unmarked grave, reflecting the Kīngitanga tradition of equality between monarch and people.
Kīngi Tūheitia was a strong advocate for reducing Māori incarceration rates and supporting offender reintegration. He hosted international dignitaries, served as patron of Te Matatini, and attended numerous Māori, national and international events. He traditionally spoke publicly only once a year, at the annual koroneihana in Ngāruawāhia, and upheld the customs of poukai and the Kauhanganui.
Who Is the New Māori Queen?
The Māori monarchy is not hereditary by right. Leaders of iwi associated with the Kīngitanga gather to elect a successor during the tangihanga of the deceased monarch.
Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō was elected as Kīngi Tūheitia’s successor. During Te Whakawahinga, the ceremony of enthronement, the original 1858 Bible of Pōtatau Te Wherowhero was used.
Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō is twenty-seven years old. She has overseen the Kīngitanga taonga collection, is proficient in kapa haka, and holds a Master’s degree in tikanga and te reo Māori from the University of Waikato.