Nga wai hono i te po, 8th Māori Monarch

At 27 years old, seven days after the death of her father, Kīngi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII, Nga wai hono i te po became the second ever Māori Queen. She is the eighth Ariki Nui, the leader of the Kīngitanga and the second woman. The first woman to hold the position was Kiingi Tuheitia’s mother, Te Atairangikaahu, who died in 2006. And at 27, Nga wai hono i te po is also the second youngest Māori monarch to be appointed. In 2020, Nga wai hono i te po was appointed to the Waitangi National Trust, to represent Māori living in the North Island south of Tāmaki Makaurau. Nga wai hono i te po studied a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Waikato, followed by a Masters Degree in Tikanga Māori. During university she taught Kapa Haka. She was part of kapa haka rōpū Ngaa Pou o Taniwharau, which both of her parents also performed with. Her first taste on the stage at Te Matatini was in 2013 when she was invited to join her tutors on stage in the senior competition. She was named by her grandmother, the late Te Atairangikaahu, who was told of the birth when she was at a meeting at night near Parikino. In 2016, to celebrate Kiingi Tuheitia's 10th year leading the Kiingitanga movement, Nga wai hono i te po received her moko kauae alongside her mother, Atawhai and former Labour MP and cousin Nanaia Mahuta.

Sources

1. Radio New Zealand: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/527108/the-new-maori-queen-kuin...
2. Stuff: https://www.stuff.co.nz/te-ao-maori/350404546/hei-kuini-hei-kuini-h...
3. University of Waikato: https://www.waikato.ac.nz/study/student-success-stories/nga-wai-hon...

Notes

1. Lets spell the Queens name correctly. No capitals after N or macrons or double vowels. Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po Pootatau Te Wherowhero VIII. Coronation 5 September 2024.