Waikato: The youngest child and only daughter of Kingi Tuheitia and his wife Makau Ariki Atawhai has been appointed as the new leader of the Kingitanga movement. Kuini Nga Wai hono i te po Paki was formally anointed while her father lay in state beside her, evoking a similar scene to her father’s own coronation nearly 18 years ago at Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia, the center of the Kingitanga Movement.
As a direct descendant of the first Maori King, Potatau Te Wherowhero, who was installed in 1858, she becomes the eighth monarch to lead the movement, taking on her role just weeks before the anniversary of her father’s coronation on August 21, 2006. Kuini Nga Wai hono i te po Paki is only the second woman to helm the movement; her grandmother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, reigned from 1966 to 2006 as the longest-serving Maori monarch.
At 27 years old, Kuini Nga Wai hono i te po Paki is considered relatively young for her position. She received her education at Te Whare Kura o Rakaumanga in Huntly and earned a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship in 2016. She graduated from the University of Waikato, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts and subsequently a Master of Arts Degree with First Class Honours in 2022. Born on January 13, 1997, she was just nine years old when her father ascended to the throne.