Dame Te Atairangikaahu had been at Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia for the week so her people could come and say their farewells. People have come from far and wide to pay their final respects to this noble woman. When someone passes over, we celebrate their lives with a gathering we call a tangi. She has been a celebrity in her duties to all Maori, no matter what iwi (tribe) they are from. Even our Prime Minister, Helen Clarke, who sat beside her coffin, has spoken of her many achievements since she was appointed to this role and how she has made all Maori proud with the poise, finesse and diplomacy that she had handled the affairs that were given to her to deal with. She will be missed by many people and her role will be a complex one to fill especially in today's environment.
Maori people comprised of seven tribes and these tribes united when Europeans landed on this land so as not to be overrun by them or have to fight a civil war. There were conflicts and there was a period in time when many atrocities were carried out by both sides. When things settled and the tribes had another hui (meeting) with the Europeans, a treaty was passed. This is a most valuable historical document, The Treaty of Waitangi. It was not signed by all tribes but it is still upheld today and as a result, to fit into the so called civilized world a new multicultural nation was born. The Maori people appointed a King so as to fit into the European way of thinking and this is how we got to have our own representative for our state affairs. But we have a twist as to how they are appointed, all the leaders of the tribes have a meeting (hui) to decide who will represent our people at the passing of the former king or queen and this meeting excludes the reigning tribe.
As a people we have been lucky enough to have some wise counsel and guidance in keeping our history and culture alive. When my mother was alive, she was not allowed to speak Maori at school and she was raised by catholic nuns, consequently she never learned to speak the language and at present neither do I but I am pleased to see that our culture has survived this and that our new generation has mana and pride.
This is a generation that has this history and takes pride in where our nation is going and participate in the development of this for future generations.
We have a new King; Tuheitia Paki took his seat as the successor for Dame Te Atairangikaahu his mother. We have much hope that this appointment will be a continuing of the good work that has all ready been done by Dame Te Ata. Tuheitia Paki, was brought before the people to be anointed by her coffin. He is a Tainui cultural adviser and currently works in education as a senior manager of Te Wananga of Aotearoa The new king has a strong background in cultural performance, being a member of the Taniwharau kapa haka club for most of his life. He is married with three children.
