Ngā Wai Hono i Te Pō Paki has been announced as the new Māori Queen. Who is she and what does her appointment mean for te ao Māori?

Ngā Wai Hono i Te Pō Paki has been announced as the new Māori Queen. Now known as Te Arikinui Kuīni Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō, she takes charge of the Kīngitanga at a time of immense political tension. With the future of the Kīngitanga now resting in Te Arikinui Kuini Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō’s hands, attention shifts to the mahi ahead of her and the legacy she will look to continue in the wake of her father, dubbed the kīngi of kotahitanga. Now, more than ever, the relevance and the future of the Kīngitanga is under the spotlight.

With her coronation taking place just prior to the burial of her father Kīngi Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII, Ngā Wai Hono i Te Pō becomes the eighth Māori monarch since the election of Pōtatau Te Wherowhero in 1856. The choice of Ngā Wai Hono i Te Pō to ascend to the throne was widely expected.

Who is the new monarch?

The second woman to take the throne, Te Ariki Tapairu Ngā Wai Hono i Te Pō is the youngest child of Tuheitia and wife Te Atawhai, also known as Makau Ariki. In recent years, Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō had been attending more official engagements with her father and on behalf of the Kīngitanga, which led to some believing she was being groomed to take the throne after her dad died. She was widely expected to be chosen as her father’s successor. 

Now aged 27, she’s substantially younger than the current youngest reigning monarch of a sovereign nation, the 44-year-old Emir of Qatar. Ngā Wai Hono i Te Pō 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. She is involved with other trust boards too, including Kohanga Reo and the Waitangi National Trust Board. A key part of the role with the Waitangi National Trust is overseeing the Kīngitanga collection, which contains more than 3,000 taonga. A proud member of Ngā Pou o Taniwharau kapa haka, Ngā Wai Hono i Te Pō is also a passionate and well-respected figure within the kapa haka scene.

What happens now?

In the short term, there’s unlikely to be much public action from the Kīngitanga. Tainui and the Kīngitanga will take time to continue grieving the loss of Tuheitia and recover from the intense tangihanga, which saw tens of thousands descend on Tūrangawaewae and Taupiri maunga over the last week. It’s also expected there will be a period of transition for the new monarch, as she takes time adjusting to their new title, role, and life of service ahead of her.

Luckily, Ngā Wai Hono i Te Pō has spent her life in and around the Kīngitanga, aware of the fact she could some day come to take the place of her father. The institution of the Kīngitanga will throw its full support behind their new monarch, which includes the tautoko and advice of many knowledgeable in the history of the Kīngitanga, te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, tribal politics, and national issues. The group known as Tekau-mā-rua, made up of rangatira and tohunga from around Aotearoa, which played a pivotal role in choosing Ngā Wai Hono i Te Pō as the successor of her father, will also continue to aid with the strategy and future direction of the Kīngitanga. Eventually, the queen will choose her own Tekau-mā-rua.

Once the dust has settled, the Kīngitanga will likely look to resume its calendar of events, including landmark events as Poukai, the Tūrangawaewae Regatta, and of course, Koroneihana. There will also be a number of smaller engagements Ngā Wai Hono i Te Pō will attend in her new capacity as Māori Queen.

What does the future of the Kīngitanga look like?

The Kīngitanga is political by nature, having been established for the purpose of advocating for the return of confiscated land and creating unity among its members. This foundation of politics and kotahitanga will be pivotal in shaping the future direction of the Kīngitanga, especially given the current political climate. While political tensions were rightfully cast aside for the tangi of Tuheitia, they are set to soon flare up again, with several contentious policies and laws continuing to draw the ire of te iwi Māori.

In recent times, the Kīngitanga has solidified itself as an institution of stature not just here in Aotearoa but throughout the Pacific. As the hui-ā-motu called by Kīngi Tuheitia earlier this year illustrated, the Kīngitanga has an ability to bring Māori together from around Aotearoa like few institutions in the country can. While there had previously been siloed relationships between the Kīngitanga and cultural and political leaders from around the Pacific, the recent Koroneihana celebrations earlier this month once again showed how well respected the Kīngitanga institution is. It will be expected that Ngā Wai Hono i Te Pō will continue to lead the fostering of these relationships during her reign.