Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō

Māori monarch from 2024

Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō (born 13 January 1997) has been the Māori Queen since 2024.[3][4] She was raised to the throne on 5 September 2024 after being elected to replace her father Kīngi Tūheitia.

Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō
Te Arikinui Kuīni
Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō in 2019
Māori Queen
Reign5 September 2024 – present
Coronation5 September 2024
PredecessorTūheitia
BornNgā Wai Hono i te Pō Paki
(1997-01-13) 13 January 1997 (age 27)[1]
Waikato, New Zealand
Regnal name
Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VIII
Kāhui ArikiTe Wherowhero
FatherTūheitia
MotherMakau Ariki Te Atawhai
ReligionCatholicism[2]
EducationUniversity of Waikato (BA, MA)

Her full name and title is Te Arikinui Kuīni Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō. Her titles Te Arikinui (meaning Paramount Chief) and Kuīni (meaning Queen).

Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō acceded to the throne at the age of 27, the second-youngest to do so.[5] Her accession was not automatic, as the Māori monarch has to be elected.[5] Upon her accession, she was younger than the youngest reigning monarch of a sovereign nation (Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the sovereign Emir of Qatar).[6]

Tūheitia's death on 30 August 2024 caused a selection of his replacement by a forum of tribal leaders who choose her by consensus.[7][8]

The announcement of her selection as Queen and her taking the throne took place during the funeral of her father.[5]

Personal life

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Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō was born in Waikato, New Zealand as the youngest child and only daughter of Tūheitia.[2] She is a direct descendant of the first Māori King, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero. She is the eighth monarch of the Kīngitanga, and the second woman to hold the position.[6]

Māori is her first language.[5]

When Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō was nine years old, her father became the Māori king.[6]

References

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  1. Gabel, Julia (5 September 2024). "The day the helm of the Māori monarchy passed from father to daughter". The New Zealand Herald. Auckland, New Zealand: NZME. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 24 September 2024. Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, the eighth monarch of the Kīngitanga, was born on January 13, 1997.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Gledhill, David (2024-09-05). "Māori Queen aged 27 and a Catholic – Background of Ngawai Hono i te Po Paki ki Parikino". CathNews New Zealand. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  3. "Nga Wai Hono i te Po succeeds her father Kiingi Tuheitia". Te Ao Māori News. 5 September 2024. Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  4. Stewart, Ella (5 September 2024). "The new Māori Queen: Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, 27, to succeed her father Kiingi Tuheitia as Māori monarch". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Duff, Michelle (2024-09-05). "Māori queen Nga Wai Hono i te po Paki crowned in 'new dawn' for New Zealand". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 8 September 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Rātana, Liam (5 September 2024). "A new monarch has been named. What's next for the Kīngitanga?". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  7. "Kuini Nga wai hono i te po needs to carry kotahitanga forward, advisor says". Radio New Zealand. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  8. Hohaia, Trent (8 September 2024). "Kiingitanga: Our most unique political institution". E-Tangata. Retrieved 18 September 2024.

Other websites

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  Media related to Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō at Wikimedia Commons