With the passing of Kīngi Tūheitia, the decision of who will succeed to the throne is left in the hands of a chosen few. Here’s what you need to know.

The tangi of Kīngi Tūheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII will come to a conclusion on Thursday, with his burial on Taupiri maunga. While the focus rightfully remains on the kīngi, the important decision of who takes his place is due to be made tonight, with the public announcement and coronation of the new monarch expected on Thursday, before the burial, or possibly even tomorrow. In the meantime, there are some important conversations happening behind the scenes about who will serve as the next monarch for Māoridom.

As was seen with the selection of Tūheitia after the passing of his mother Te Arikinui Te Atairangikāhu in 2006, the successor to the throne isn’t necessarily a foregone conclusion. While the position of Māori monarch is not hereditary, every king or queen has so far been a direct descendant of a previous monarch, from Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, the first king, to Tūheitia. However, after any reign ends, it is possible the role could be handed to someone from another whānau or even iwi. The people deciding just who will take the place of Tūheitia have been chosen especially by him to serve as representatives of all Māori. The group, known as Tekau-mā-rua (12 – the number of members), is currently made up of iwi representatives from around Aotearoa. 

How was Tūheitia chosen to succeed his mother to the throne?

The selection of Tūheitia as his mother’s successor came as a surprise to many. It had long been suspected that his sister Heeni Katipa would be chosen, as she had been groomed for the position throughout her life. However, the story goes that upon her death bed, Te Atairangikāhu expressed to Heeni her desire for Tūheitia to take the throne. The council of chiefs – a different entity to Tekau-mā-rua and understood to be predominantly from Tainui, the queen’s iwi – were informed of this before deliberating on who the successor should be. They told Tūheitia of the decision the night before his mother’s burial and he was coronated the next day, prior to the burial of his mother.

What is Tekau-mā-rua?

Kīngi Tāwhiao, the second Māori king, held the throne from 1860-1894. During this time, a lot was changing in Aotearoa. Waikato was invaded by the Crown, Christianity was sweeping across the nation, and Tāwhiao was intent on the return of confiscated lands. Having been baptised in three different Christian faiths, Tāwhio grew an affinity for the teachings of the Bible. With an understanding of the significance of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, Tāwhiao decided to establish a group of his own 12 disciples from within the tribal boundaries of Tainui. This group would be known as Tekau-mā-rua and was brought in to assist, guide and lead the running of the Kīngitanga.

Since its establishment, members of Tekau-mā-rua were replaced after they died. In old times, the positions in the group were held by men but as time went on, women began to be selected. When Te Arikinui Te Atairangikāhu came to reign, she appointed members from different Tainui communities to Tekau-mā-rua, but didn’t replace them upon their death. Following the death of the last of Tekau-mā-rua from that era, Henare Tuwhangai in 1989, Tekau-mā-rua went into recess. When Te Atairangikāhu became ill, she had the idea of gathering a new Tekau-mā-rua from around Aotearoa, believing the group should be representative of all Māori. Although Te Atairangikāhu passed before she could see the vision through, her son Tūheitia brought his mother’s vision to life in 2014.

The group has four set meeting times a year, based on important dates in the Kīngitanga calendar including the likes of Koroneihana, which marks the date of the coronation of the current monarch. They also meet regularly online, where they discuss topical issues and strategise the direction of the Kīngitanga.

Who is currently in Tekau-mā-rua and what role do they play in the Kīngitanga?

The current members include academics, politicians, iwi leaders and executive leaders of significant organisations in te ao Māori such as Te Kōhanga Reo. Che Wilson (Ngāti Rangi), a former president of Te Pāti Māori, was appointed as chair last year, with the other positions filled by Labour MP Peeni Henare (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi), Pou Temara (Tūhoe), Rikirangi Gage (Te Whānau-a-Apanui), former MP and veteran activist Hone Harawira (Ngāti Hau, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Hine, Te Aupōuri, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua), Te Kahautu Maxwell (Ngāi Tai, Ngāti Awa, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Porou, Tūhoe, Ngāti Maniapoto), Wharehoka Wano (Te Ātiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Awa), Herewini Parata (Ngāti Porou), Jerry Hapuku (Ngāti Kahungunu) and companion members Kahurangi Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi), Prue Kapua (Te Arawa), and Edward Taihakurei Durie (Rangitāne, Ngāti Kauwhata and Ngāti Raukawa).

The current members of Tekau-mā-rua were chosen for a variety of reasons – their expertise in te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, iwi affairs, community involvement, or support of Māori kaupapa. They serve as representatives of iwi that are strong supporters of the Kīngitanga. In the present day, the main role of Tekau-mā-rua is to advise the Kīngitanga on matters of importance to their respective iwi and the wider Māori community. The influence of Tekau-mā-rua on the direction of the Kīngitanga remains strong and following the death of Kīngi Tūheitia, it will play a pivotal role in choosing the next monarch.

Who is the likely successor to the throne and how will they be chosen?

Although not always the case, there has been a general expectation that the first-born child of the previous monarch will succeed to the throne. Tūheitia and his wife Te Atawhai had three children together, sons Whatumoana and Korotangi and daughter Ngā Wai hono i te po. Initially, it was expected that eldest child Whatumoana would be the successor, but the Kīngitanga publicly voiced its disapproval of his marriage to Rangimarie Tahana-Morgan King-Te Wherowhero, a former assistant of the Kīngitanga. The disapproval allegedly stemmed from the couple’s choice to adopt the name Te Wherowhero, which would usually be reserved for Tūheitia. There were also claims that Whatumoana and Rangimarie had been misrepresenting the Kīngitanga, among other activities that brought the name of the Kīngitanga into disrepute. 

Younger brother Korotangi has had his own share of public controversy, appearing in court in 2014 on charges of drink driving, two counts of burglary and one of theft. Only 19 years old at the time, he faced further backlash over derogatory comments he made about the Asian community and for using the Nazi slogan “Sieg Heil” on his Facebook page. In 2020, Korotangi was sentenced to 100 hours’ community work and 18 months of intensive supervision after earlier pleading guilty to one charge of assault with intent to injure in relation to an assault on his partner.

The only daughter and youngest child of Kīngi Tūheitia, Ngā Wai hono i te po is looking like the favourite to ascend to the throne. In her late 20s, she holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in tikanga Māori and te reo Māori from the University of Waikato and also sits on the University of Waikato Council. In recent years, Ngā Wai hono i te po accompanied her father on various official engagements and appeared to be being groomed for the position. 

Tonight, Tekau-mā-rua is expected to wānanga until a decision on who will succeed Tūheitia has been reached. The monarch elect will then be informed of the decision in private, before a public announcement is made either tomorrow or on the day of the burial of Tūheitia. As was the case with the surprise appointment of Tūheitia, nothing is certain when it comes to who will succeed to the throne. It’s not known if Tūheitia indicated who he wished to take his place – it could be a direct descendant of Tūheitia, or it could be another family member, or even someone from a completely different tribe.

What is the process for coronating the next monarch?

The ceremony is simple but powerful. It will start with the monarch elect being adorned in the same cloak donned by the first Māori king Pōtatau Te Wherowhero during his coronation. People will gather at the marae to pay their final respects to the late king, while the monarch elect will stand with the main rangatira and the late king’s coffin. A clergyman will begin with an Anglican service and deliver a sermon.

After this, the most senior descendant of Wiremu Tamihana Te Waharoa, the original “kingmaker”, will come forward and face the monarch elect. They will crown the new monarch by placing a Bible on their head, saying: “In the old days, your ancestors were anointed with oil, but since the arrival of Christianity, they have been anointed with the Word of God. Therefore, I place the Word of God upon your head.” The kingmaker will then lead the monarch forward, proclaiming them in te reo Māori as the “king or queen of the Māori race, in the name of the father, the son and the holy ghost”. The Bible used is the same one that has crowned every previous monarch. As the Bible is placed on the new monarch’s head, the late king’s flag, which has been flying at half mast, is lowered, and the new monarch’s flag is raised to the top of the flagpole.

After the coronation, another high rangatira presents the new monarch with a white feather, symbolising purity and truth. Various rangatira will then make brief speeches to honour them. The ceremony ends with prayers, hymns and a blessing. Later in the day, the new monarch will follow Tūheitia’s coffin to its final resting place in the royal burial ground at the summit of Taupiri maunga.