Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke with the Māori Queen Nga wai hono i te po.
The Māori Queen Te Arikinui Nga wai hono i te po may have whakapapa back to the first Māori monarch – but she’s turning the heads of rangatahi towards the Kīngitanga.
The 28-year-old Māori Queen has made headlines nationally and internationally since succeeding her father King Tūheitia, who died in 2024.
She has taken on a patron role with Te Matatini – the largest celebration of traditional Māori performing arts excellence in the world, and when she was hosted recently in Dubai by Her Highness Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, her visit was broadcast to 1.7 million of the princess’ social media followers around the world.
Waikato-Tainui elder and Kīngitanga spokesperson Rahui Papa told the Herald that Te Arikinui’s appointment happening at the same time as the rise of other prominent young Māori leaders like Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, local rangatahi are telling him they’re feeling inspired.
A fortnight ago, Maipi-Clarke was in New York picking up a Time Magazine accolade for being one of the world’s top young leaders.
“They’re a dynamic duo. Young Māori are feeling like they can be part of this,” he said.
Nga wai hono i te po is the youngest child and only daughter of Tūheitia and a direct descendant of the first Māori king, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, who was anointed in 1858.
Younger Waikato-Tainui Māori see her as the bridge between traditional and modern Māori worlds, with her Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Education from Waikato University, and being known for her sophistication and ease mixing designer brands with traditional Māori culture and her moko kauae, Papa said.
Papa is steeped in Waikato-Tainui and Kīngitanga history and can korero what each of the previous seven monarchs achieved during their reigns.
“With Nga wai, we are trying to entrench kotahitanga (unity) amongst the people,” Papa said.
“All monarchs have always called for unity amongst the nation – not just Māori.
“She has ignited an invigoration within rangatahi (youth). Following Nga wai’s appointment our kōhanga reo and kura tamariki (children) are looking to her to be the leader with an inclusiveness of rangatahi in what was once viewed as the kaumatua realm – places like the paepae or wānanga.
“There is a licence for rangatahi to be involved alongside kaumatua. That was never evident in the old days as rangatahi were meant to sit and wait their time. Now there’s a licence to be more involved and more present to what’s happening in the workings of Te Iwi Māori.”
“When guys like Rahui Papa are gone, its going to be our rangatahi who take over the reigns,” Papa said.
“In Dame Te Ata’s time, radio was the medium, TV was the medium in Tuheitia’s time and now for Nga wai, it’s social media and AI.
“Nga wai is leading the Kīngitanga into a space of self-reliance.
“Her speech at koroneihana she talked about minimising Māori reliance on the government and putting our hands in our own pockets and designing a strategy so we are not answerable to anyone but our own people.”
The queen’s international focus will continue with an indigenous summit, Ōhanga ki te Ao, due to open in Hamilton tomorrow.
Kīngitanga promotional material says more than 170 business leaders from Asia, Australia, the Pacific, Europe, North America and New Zealand, including former Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr, Dame Therese Walsh and Infratil CEO Jason Boyes will be among the business people.
While the Māori Queen has travelled widely, the summit will be the first major event she has hosted.
Running parallel with the summit will be the Kohinga Koha business expo, designed to showcase Māori and indigenous businesses, which 100 businesses have registered for.
Joseph Los’e is the Kaupapa Māori Editor and joined NZME in 2022. Los’e was chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and before joining NZME worked for urban Māori organisation Whānau Waipareira.