A new monarch will rise and Kīngi Tuheitia will travel to his final resting place, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin.
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A farewell fit for the King
Kīngi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII will be laid to rest today, taking his place alongside his predecessors at Taupiri maunga. Since news of his passing was made public early on Friday morning, thousands of mourners have paid their respects at Tūrangawaewae Marae where the King has been lying in state. As The Spinoff’s Lyric Waiwiri-Smith explains in an evocative piece this morning, Kīngi Tūheitia’s body will be transported down the Waikato river from Tūrangawaewae to Taupiri.
Waiwiri-Smith writes:
A fleet of four waka will travel alongside a flower-covered barge carrying the Kīngi’s body upriver to Taupiri. Just as the maunga serves as an ancestor, so does the river.
On Wednesday, final touches were being made to Tūheitia’s float and its surroundings: flower pots were lined up alongside the barge and branches woven together to create greenery from the bridgeway, while the waka fleet attracted admirers along the bank. From today until eternity, Kīngi Tūheitia will rest alongside his mother Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, and the Māori monarchs of times past.
Sombre mood at Tūrangawaewae Marae
A lot of the mainstream media coverage of the past few days has focussed on the high profile arrivals at Tūrangawaewae, including politicians and dignitaries. But many, if not most, of the visitors to the marae have been lesser known. Extended family, close friends, along with iwi representatives from up and down the country. The many and varied people who felt a connection to the King.
The Spinoff’s Ātea editor Liam Rātana has been on the ground at the marae for the past 24 hours and filed this update:
The mood on the ground at Tūrangawaewae Marae for the tangi of Kīngi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII is sombre. There are some understandably tired bodies on the side of Tainui, yet the well-oiled machine continues to operate at full capacity, welcoming and feeding the thousands of manuhiri that continue to show up to pay their respects.
It is quite a spectacle to observe, with hundreds of people manning the hāngī pits, the paepae, and everything in between. Yesterday, the sun was beating down for the final day of grieving before today’s burial. Walking among the crowds and the haukainga, there seems to be a mix of relief and nervousness as the tangi reaches its final hours.
While many will be happy that the tangi is finally nearing its end, there is also a clear desire from Tainui to ensure they give Kīngi Tuheitia the send off he deserves. The final preparations are under way before the nation tunes in for what will be the largest tangi Aotearoa has seen in the last two decades and a new monarch ascends to the throne.
A new monarch to be anointed
As Rātana notes, today will be both a deeply sombre day but also one of celebration. Writing for the Waikato Times, Te Aorewa Rolleston described “a day of sorrow marking the ending of one life, [but] also one of new beginnings”. Before the King’s body is transported to its final resting place, a successor will be publicly named. If you missed Rātana’s excellent explainer from earlier in the week, it clearly lays out the traditional process of selecting a monarch, something that has been taking place behind closed doors since Tuesday.
Te Ao Māori News’ Daniel Perese explains how today will play out. At 10 am, Tekau-mā-rua – or The Kīngitanga advisory council – will bring the new Māori monarch to the throne and introduce them to the public for the first time. There will be a karakia whakawahinga and then the Bible – the same one used for Kīngi Tuheitia’s crowning – will be placed on the head of the new monarch.
A well-oiled machine
Live coverage of the tangi has only given a glimpse at the scale of proceedings. Not only has the marae welcomed thousands of people, it’s also had to cater for them. As Rātana noted above, it’s a spectacle to behold. This 1News piece from earlier in the week went behind the scenes at the marae’s kitchen, where ten lambs and two cows were being butchered and smoked trout was being prepared (just for one day). “At times this is a very sad occasion, but with that is making sure our people are looked after as they volunteer to do the mahi,” said Kīngitanga spokesperson Rahui Papa.
On the latest episode of The Spinoff’s politics podcast Gone by Lunchtime – which also analysed the role of the Kīngitanga movement in domestic politics – Annabelle Lee-Mather jested (or maybe not) that those responsible for the smooth running of Tūrangawaewae should be in charge of the whole country.
If you’re tuned into RNZ this morning, you’ll know that crowds have already started to gather at Tūrangawaewae. Live coverage of the funeral will be broadcast free-to-air on Sky Open from 9.30am this morning if you want to tune in from home. And check back with The Spinoff later in the morning, at about 10.30am, to read more about the new Māori monarch and what happens next.