circleWhen she was nine, her father ascended to the throne. He became king of the Maori people of New Zealand, and over the years she watched the sacrifices that role took, and witnessed what he meant to Indigenous people across the country.
Now, at age 27, it is her turn to lead. Ngā Wai Hono i Te Po became Māori Queen at a pivotal time for relations between the New Zealand government and its indigenous people.
She was consecrated last week in a ceremony at the home of the Māori King Movement (known as Kiingitanga), becoming the movement's second-youngest monarch, on the same day that her father, Tuheitia, was buried on Mount Taupiri after traveling down the Waikato River in a waka convoy.
Ngā Wai Hono i Te Po, who holds the title Te Arikinui (paramount chief) or Kuini (queen), will take on a role she has been preparing for for years, often appearing alongside her father at events and even representing the Kiingitanga people on overseas trips, including to Buckingham Palace in 2022.
The Queen is expected to connect with the rapidly growing young Māori population, while her fluency in the language and political awareness are predicted to raise the profile of the Kiingitanga movement.
The movement is the longest-running of any movement created to defend Māori sovereignty amid waves of war and confiscation in the 19th century, and is an attempt to unite tribes to fight on equal terms against the British Crown. The monarch's role is largely ceremonial, but the leader is also considered paramount chief of several iwi (tribes). The movement has been influential in shaping debates over the direction of the Coalition government's Māori policy.
University of Waikato professor and Waikato Ngāti Maniapoto iwi leader Tom Roa said a strong monarch must have three characteristics: lineage, political acumen and an eye to the future.
“Te Arikinui Kuini Nga Wai Hono I Te Po” has these qualities in abundance, he says.
Roa says there is a group of young Māori women, including the Queen, who are politically astute and unafraid to speak up for themselves.
“She is well versed in Māori language and customs and embodies her father's words: 'A Māori is a Māori.'”
At a time when tensions between Māori and the government are at their highest in a generation over policies such as rescinding the official use of the Māori language (te reo Māori) and putting the principles of the country's founding document to a referendum, Ngā Wai Hono i Te Po's appointment is seen as a powerful symbol of a new generation of Māori fighting back.
“no doubt [the role] “It's going to be a big strain on her, but she's resilient,” Lore said.
“Her resilience will shine through if she is given time to mourn her father.”
Born in June 1997, Ngā Wai Hono i Te Po is the youngest of Tuheitia and Makau Ariki's three children and a direct descendant of all eight Māori kings. Her name, which roughly translates to “one who brings people together”, was bestowed on her by her grandmother, the late Māori Queen Te Arikinui Damu Te Atairangikaahu.
“I think the meaning and metaphor of her name and the fact that she is now our queen is something that will never be forgotten by Māori,” Roa says.
She grew up in Wahipa, in the Waikato region of the North Island, with her family speaking Māori as her first language. As part of the “Kōhanga Reo” generation, she attended a full immersion Māori school and completed a Masters in Māori Language and Linguistics at the University of Waikato.
Since then she has become a member of several Māori organisations, including the Kōhanga Reo National Trust and the Waitangi National Trust, and continues to serve as patron of Te Matatini, a national Māori performing arts competition.
Ngā Wai Hono i Te Po have been active participants and teachers of Kapa Haka, a Māori performing art, for many years. University She had lived and breathed it all her life and it formed some of her earliest memories.
“I was practicing a pukana (expression) in front of the mirror and my mom walked past me and burst out laughing,” she recalls. “She said, 'Maybe one day you'll be like that too.'”
During a visit to London in 2022 to meet with then-Prince Charles, Ngā Wai Hono I Te Po spoke of his mixed feelings about meeting with the titular head of the royal family.
“I feel angry,” she said. He spoke in the documentary In Maori we say, “I have a soft tongue, so be careful.”
But it could help after the past year, when her father has become an increasingly visible figure in nationwide protests against government policies. In January, tens of thousands of people responded to Tuheitia's call for a rally to discuss responses, and another large rally is planned for October, with Kiingitanga expected to attend.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who did not attend the coronation, said in a social media post that he welcomed the new queen to “continue the leadership mission left by her father.”
Kiingitanga is not hereditary; the monarch is elected by a council of elders and experts called Tekau Mā Rua (Māori for 12), made up of representatives from many tribes.
King Tuheitia's funeral lasted five days, during which they met to listen to addresses, speeches and proposals from across the country and decide how to proceed. Tekau Mā Rua chairman Che Wilson told national broadcaster RNZ that it would take some time for the new king to settle in.
“She still has to mourn her father,” he said, “but there's the momentum that her father created for Māori iwi.”
