Waikato: The youngest of three children and the only daughter of Kingi Tuheitia and his wife Makau Ariki Atawhai has been appointed as the new leader of the Kingitanga movement.
Kuini (Queen) Nga Wai hono i te po Paki was officially anointed as her father lay in state beside her, reminiscent of his own coronation nearly 18 years ago at Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia, the heart of the Kingitanga Movement.
She is a direct descendant of the first Maori King, Potatau Te Wherowhero, who was crowned in 1858. Kuini Nga Wai is the eighth monarch to guide the movement and her ascension comes just weeks before the anniversary of her father’s coronation on August 21, 2006.
At 27 years old, Kuini Nga Wai hono i te po Paki is the second female leader in the movement’s history. Her grandmother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, held the title as the longest-serving Maori monarch from 1966 to 2006.
She was educated at Te Whare Kura o Rakaumanga in Huntly and received a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship in 2016. Kuini earned her Bachelor of Arts and later completed her Master of Arts Degree with First Class Honours at the University of Waikato in 2022.
Born on January 13, 1997, she was just nine years old when her father ascended to the throne.