Kuini Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki has been named the new leader of the Kīngitanga Movement in New Zealand.
She is the youngest child and only daughter of Kīngi Tūheitia and Te Atawhai, and the second woman to lead the movement after her late grandmother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Queen Ngā Wai hono i te po was anointed as her father lay in state beside her at Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia.
The new queen is a direct descendant of Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, the first Māori King crowned in 1858, making her the eighth monarch of the Kīngitanga Movement.
At just 27 years old, she is one of the youngest leaders in the movement’s history. Queen Ngā Wai hono i te po was educated at Te Whare Kura o Rakaumanga in Huntly and received a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship in 2016. She graduated from the University of Waikato with a Master of Arts Degree with First Class Honours in 2022.
Her love for kapa haka has been a significant part of her life since she was three years old. Queen Ngā Wai hono i te po has performed with several groups at the Te Matatini national kapa haka festival. Before becoming queen, she held several governance roles, including on the Te Kohanga Reo National Trust and the Waitangi National Trust.
Politicians and community leaders have welcomed her as the new monarch, with her brothers Korotangi and Whatumoana Paki set to support her reign.
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