Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po is hosting her first koroneihana event marking a year since the passing of her father, the late Kingi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII, and her subsequent ascension to the throne.
The week-long event starts today with Tainui waka set to acknowledge loved ones who passed in the last twelve months, including the late king, with the first of two kawe mate.
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Kiingitanga spokesperson Rahui Papa said this year’s Koroneihana celebration will be significant for it being the first for Kuini Nga wai. He said it will be “tinged with sadness” as they remember a year ago when the king was celebrating his final coronation anniversary event before his unexpected death.
He said this year’s event could be viewed as “traditional thinking coupled with ingenuity” with the heavy involvement of rangatahi heralding a “stark difference” to previous koroneihana.
“It used to be the old people having the kōrero, making the decisions,” Papa said, “but this time, last year, there was the inclusion of rangatahi as well and I think that’s going to be a huge standing point for Koroneihana and for Kiingitanga going forward.”
So what can we expect from this year’s Koroneihana?
Acknowledging loved ones who have passed
As is custom, the first two days of Koroneihana are dedicated to acknowledging and paying homage to those who died in the last twelve months. The first day – today – is set aside for Tainui, while Wednesday is for iwi across the motu.
“Kawe mate isn’t just about one mate, it’s about all of the mate throughout the year because you can’t get to every one, and so it’s an opportunity for bereaved families to come and sit together and talk together in the hopes that it might bolster and the wairua of those families.”
He said for Tainui, a number of stalwarts have passed since King Tuheitia’s death, such as kaumātua Huti Waitere who raised the flags at Koroneihana since the times of King Koroki.
Other notable deaths in the past year have included Sir Robert ‘Bom’ Gillies, Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi and Dame Tariana Turia.
Papa added: “But there was a whole lot more that we’ve been through to those tangi, and so kawe mate is really an opportunity for those whānau to come together, to be acknowledged and to sit with people that are in like circumstance.”
Recognising Pasifika connections and kotahitanga
On Thursday, delegations from across the Pacific will be welcomed onto the marae including royal and chiefly dignitaries from Tonga, the Cook Islands, Tahiti, Hawai’i and Fiji.
Papa said the focus of Koroneihana this year will be on kotahitanga of te iwi Māori, alongside Tangata Tiriti with Te Moana nui a Kiwa relations.
When asked if local politicians would have speaking rights should they attend Koroneihana, Papa said they would “play it by ear”.
“We’re not going to really focus on the political machinations that have been happening or are likely to happen. We actually want to focus not on the politicians themselves, or the politics of the day – the politic of the day will be kotahitanga.”
Koroneihana Day – Te Arikinui to make first royal address
Friday is the official anniversary of Kuini Nga wai’s coronation where she will make her first royal address, signalling the end of her mourning period.
“It’ll be based on things from her heritage, from her father, like kotahitanga and things throughout the history of the Kiingitanga,” said Papa, “but I think it’s also going to be based on a more futuristic viewpoint, and embracing rangatahi and the kaupapa that are near and dear to rangatahi a whole lot more.”
Special highlights to watch out for
Every afternoon there will be kapa haka performances from kōhanga reo, kura, university, iwi and community groups as well as top haka groups from around the country to keep people entertained.
The formal handing over of the mauri for hosting the next Te Matatini national kapa haka competition will take place on Friday afternoon between Te Kāhui Maunga – collective of Taranaki and Whanganui iwi who hosted Te Matatini this year in February – and Tainui, who were announced to replace Te Tauihu o Te Waka as 2027 hosts.
The arrival of a bull sperm whale jawbone, named Te Ara Maurei, will also take place over the week. A gift from the eight iwi of Te Tauihu that was originally intended for Kuini Nga wai’s grandmother, the late Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the kauae will finally arrive at its new home.
On Saturday a free outdoor concert will take place to close out the week’s events.
What goes into preparing for Koroneihana?
Papa said a wide range of work takes place to host thousands of people, from weeding gardens, “doing up” the whare, painting whakairo, or carvings, with a fresh coat of paint, securing beef from farms, transporting mattresses in, and so on.
“There’s a whole lot of preparation work that goes on and the Koroneihana committee has the oversight around that. There’s the kai factor, there’s the sleeping factor, there’s the marae upkeep factor, there’s so many things that our whānau do in preparation for Koroneihana.”
He said they were unsure of the numbers at this stage but are expecting it to be “substantial”.
“We know that there’s going to be representations for just about every iwi in the country that will come, there will be representations from Te Moana nui a Kiwa. There’ll be representations from various groups, and so it’s going to be in the lots of thousands, if I can put it that way.”
History of Koroneihana
Papa said the annual event has been marked since the time of King Tawhiao – who reigned from 1894 to his death in 1912 – albeit at a “very small scale” compared to modern-day iterations. It wasn’t until King Koroki who sat on the throne from 1933 to 1966, that it grew to include other events such as sports and kapa haka.
King Koroki was an avid sportsman, said Papa, and under the guidance of his influential aunt Princess Te Puea Herangi, it evolved to become inclusive outside of Tainui.
“We have our annual poukai circuit around the various marae, but koroneihana was a culmination of all of the year’s happenings, the year’s funerals, the year’s celebrations. Everything sort of came together with Koroneihana since Koroki.
“And then with Te Atairangikaahu it took on a more Pasifika embracing as well and a more international sort of context started to happen with the politicians, with the governor generals, with the Ariki of Te Moana nui a Kiwa, so that’s how it sort of moved from Koroki’s time, from a Māori type hui to a more international and Tangata Tiriti inclusions.”
Since then, it has become a pivotal hui for the Kiingitanga, he said.
Kingitanga explained and why it still matters today – watch on TVNZ+
Glossary
koroneihana – coronation
Tainui waka – ancestral canoe Tainui
kawe mate – literally ‘carry the dead’, a custom where the memory or spirit of a person who has died is ‘carried’, usually in the form of a photo, to other marae and events to be acknowledged
rangatahi – young person, youth
kōrero – talk, speak, discuss, speech, conversation
motu – country (in article context)
mate – death, illness, deceased (in article context)
wairua – spirit, soul
kaumātua – elder(ly)
tangi – cry, mourn; funeral
kotahitanga – unity
te iwi Māori – Māori people
Tangata Tiriti – people of the Treaty
Te Moana nui a Kiwa – the Pacific Ocean
kaupapa – topic, subject, cause
kapa haka – Māori performing arts; haka group
mauri – life force, living essence
kauae – jawbone, jaw, chin
whakairo – carvings
poukai – Kiingitanga hui held on marae where people demonstrate their support and loyalty to the Kiingitanga, contributions to the cause are made, and discussions are held
