Waikato: The youngest of three children and the only daughter of Kingi Tuheitia and his wife Makau Ariki Atawhai has officially become the new leader of the Kingitanga movement.
Kuini (Queen) Nga Wai hono i te po Paki was crowned while her father, Kingi Tuheitia, lay in state beside her, evoking imagery of his own ascension nearly 18 years prior at Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia, the central site of the Kingitanga Movement.
As a direct descendant of the first Māori King, Potatau Te Wherowhero, who was established in 1858, she becomes the eighth monarch to guide the movement. Her ascension takes place just a few weeks before the anniversary of her late father’s coronation on August 21, 2006.
Kuini Nga Wai hono i te po Paki is only the second woman to lead the movement, following her grandmother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, who held the title for 40 years from 1966 to 2006.
At just 27 years old, she is relatively young in her new role. She attended Te Whare Kura o Rakaumanga in Huntly and was awarded a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship in 2016. She graduated from the University of Waikato with a Bachelor of Arts, followed by a Master of Arts Degree with First Class Honours in 2022.
Born on January 13, 1997, the new monarch was merely nine years old when her father ascended to the throne.