Before her ascension to the throne, Te Arikinui Kuīni Nga wai hono i te po enjoyed a fairly typical Māori upbringing.
Speaking to Te Karere nearly a decade ago in 2015, Te Puhi Ariki, as she was known then, the only daughter and youngest child of Kīngi Tuheitia spoke about what it’s like to be in her position as a princess in the 21st century.
“He haumaru te noho, like, kāore e kore he tangata noa ahau i roto i tēnei ao and he pērā taku noho i roto i tēnei o ngā tūranga (It’s a safe life, like, I’m just an ordinary person and I get to live like this).”
Fresh out of Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga and enrolled at Waikato University, she spoke of taking up the role that was once filled by the late Te Puea Herangi.
“Arā te kounga, me kī. Ko ō mātou mahi katoa, ka whakawātia e te nuinga o ngā tāngata (There’s a standard to uphold, so to speak. Everything we do is being watched and judged by many people).”
She talks about her tertiary life and the anonymity of being just another student on campus.
“I tēnei wā kei te aro kē au ki aku mahi o te kura, ka rawe ahau ngā mahi ki te whare wānanga nō te mea e maha rawa te tangata, e maha ngā Pākehā i konā nō reira tē mōhio atu rātou ki au, nō reira pai ki au (Right now I’m focusing on my schoolwork. I love university because there are a lot of people, non-Māori, and none of them know me, so I enjoy that).”
The young future queen then shared one of her aspirations as a princess.
“Āe, rawe ki au ki taku reo Māori nō reira mā te haere ki roto i tēnei o ngā tūranga, e manako ana ahau kia āta wetewete i ngā āhuatanga katoa ki te reo Māori me ngā huarahi me whaia kia puta ai te reo, āe (I love my reo Māori so by taking this position, I hope to learn all aspects of my language and discover new possibilities in taking our language to he world).”
He Tānga Manawa is a special Te Karere throwback series that unearths reports from TVNZ Te Reo Tātaki’s archives.
