Pacific chiefs to attend Māori Queen's second koroneihana

Ahead of Māori Queen Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po's second koroneihana (coronation) celebrations, Pacific chiefs will attend her second koroneihana at Tūrangawaewae Marae later this week, according to a Kiingitanga spokesperson. Ariki from across the Pacific will gather, embodying an age-old connection through whakapapa (genealogy), reo (language) and culture. This bond has strengthened over the years, with connections first established nearly 100 years ago.

In the 1940s, Princess Te Puea and later Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu traveled extensively across the Pacific, meeting with Queen Sālote and attending double weddings in the Cook Islands, Aitutaki, Samoa, Tonga and various other Pacific locations. Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu played a significant role in establishing the South Pacific Forum, now known as the Pacific Islands Forum, with leaders such as Malietoa Tanumafili II of Samoa, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara of Fiji and King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV of Tonga.

During Te Atairangikaahu's silver anniversary celebration in 1991, the familial connection between chiefs from Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia was evident. Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po continues this legacy, visiting and hosting Pacific ariki at Kiingitanga events during her two years as arikinui. The new generation of ariki is further solidifying these connections, which the Kiingitanga spokesperson believes holds a special key to world nationhood and relationships in today's turbulent world.