Waikato: The youngest of Kingi Tuheitia and Makau Ariki Atawhai’s three children, and their only daughter, has become the new leader of the Kingitanga movement.
Kuini Nga Wai hono i te po Paki was officially appointed as her father lay in state beside her, mirroring the scene from her father’s own ascension nearly 18 years ago at Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia, the center of the Kingitanga Movement.
The new kuini is a direct descendant of the first Maori King, Potatau Te Wherowhero, who was appointed in 1858. She is the eighth monarch to guide the movement and takes the throne just weeks before the anniversary of her father’s coronation on August 21, 2006.
At the age of 27, Kuini Nga Wai hono i te po Paki becomes only the second woman to lead the movement, following her grandmother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, who held the title from 1966 until 2006.
She completed her education at Te Whare Kura o Rakaumanga in Huntly and earned a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship in 2016. Kuini graduated from the University of Waikato, where she finished a Bachelor of Arts degree, followed by a Master of Arts degree with First Class Honours in 2022.
Born on January 13, 1997, the new monarch was just nine years old when her father ascended to the throne.