Pacific leaders honour Māori Queen at her inaugural Koroneihana

The chair of the Council of Chiefs (COC) says the Māori Queen’s inaugural Koroneihana anniversary is both a moment of remembrance and an opportunity to strengthen ties across the Pacific.

Thousands have gathered at Tūrangawaewae Marae this week as Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po celebrates her first coronation anniversary. The event marks a year since the passing of Kiingi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII, the father of Te Arikinui and the previous monarch.

The five-day programme in Ngāruawāhia, which began earlier this week, brings together iwi from across Aotearoa alongside delegations from the Pacific. The event includes remembrance ceremonies, cultural performances, and political kōrero, and will include the Māori Queen’s first formal public address on Friday.

Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, COC Chair Aupito William Sio, says other significant Pacific groups are in attendance, including leaders from the Cook Islands and Fiji, along with the royal families of Tonga, Hawai’i, and Tahiti.

“Look at the context of this government since it came in two years ago. It feels, from an outsider's perspective, that there were constant attacks on all things Māori.” Aupito recalls the late Kiingi Tuheitia’s call for a hui-ā-motu, a series of national gatherings in 2023 and 2024 that united Māori and Pacific people.

“Some key significant figures from the Pākehā world were invited to find a way of standing together under the banners of kotahitanga [unity] and mana motuhake [self-determination],” he says. “The Crown was invited, and I've seen politicians here, but the message was quite clear: this isn't about politics [or] politicians.”

Listen to Aupito William Sio’s full interview below.

“This is about the new Kuini who wants to lay a strong platform with its relationship with all Māori and its relationships with the traditional leaders of Moana-nui-a-Kiwa [the Pacific].”

Aupito suspects that Crown representatives and diplomats will attend in some capacity, but their absence as speakers at the Koroneihana indicates that “this isn’t about politicians or the Government”.

Also in attendance is Tongan community leader Pakilau Manase Lua, who,speaking with John Pulu on PMN Tonga, described the event as an occasion celebrating the shared heritage between Māori and Pasifika communities.

Pakilau says the theme of kotahitanga is evident, with the increasing Pasifika population in Aotearoa strengthening the unity between Māori and Pacific communities.

Watch Pakilau Manase Lua’s full interview on PMN Tonga below.

He points out that there are now more Tongans living in Aotearoa than in Tonga. Pakilau says a key challenge for Te Arikinui will be navigating iwi politics beyond Tainui, but he is confident she will be a monarch capable of engaging rangatahi (youth) due to her own youth.

“Coincidentally we have young wāhine toa in Parliament, with our young champion [Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke] in the Māori Party who gained international fame with her ripping up that bill.

“That's the kind of energy, power and influence that the young wāhine toa, in particular, from Māoridom have. That's also paving a way and setting an example for our young people in Moana Nui-a-Kiwa.

“Women are leading from the front in terms of some of the most challenging times here in Aotearoa, and it's great to see.”