Introduction - Maori King movement

Overview

On 23 May 2006 the Maori Queen, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, celebrated the 40th jubilee of her coronation. She was the sixth Maori monarch and the longest serving. On 15 August she passed away, and on 21 August 2006 she was succeeded by her eldest son, Te Arikinui Tuheitia Paki.

The Kingitanga, or Maori King movement, is seen as an important and enduring expression of Maori unity and today holds an established place in New Zealand society. This has not always been the case, however. In the Waikato War of the 1860s the government attempted to destroy the movement, which it considered a threat to the authority of the British Crown.

The Maori King, Te Arikinui Tuheitia Paki, can trace his position as king back to the 1850s when tribes from all over the country discussed the notion of appointing a king. Rapid European population growth was putting pressure on Maori to sell land, and there was a sense that Maori were losing control of their own affairs.

The first king, Potatau Te Wherowhero was selected because he had the mana necessary to hold such a position. His coronation in 1858 established a dynasty. His son Tawhiao became king in 1860, and led the movement during the difficult times of the Waikato War of 1863–4 and land confiscations that followed. These were crucial times for the fledgling movement. Tawhiao, who was also a prophet, led his people into exile south of Te Awamutu, an area now known as the King Country. He managed to keep the Kingitanga together when it was viewed as a direct threat to the authority of the British Crown and to European settlement in general.

In 1894 Tawhiao was succeeded by his son Mahuta. His reign represented a shift in the formal relationship between the Kingitanga and government. Mahuta became a member of the Legislative Council and the Executive Council of Parliament, thus involving the Kingitanga in mainstream politics.

From 1912 Mahuta's son, Te Rata, continued the work of his father by negotiating with the New Zealand government and the British Crown and by seeking redress for grievances. His son Koroki was assisted during his reign (1933–66) by his aunt, Te Puea Herangi. When Koroki died, his daughter Te Atairangikaahu became the Kingitanga's first woman leader.

Further information:

• The King movement
• Waikato
• Matene Te Whiwhi biography
• Potatau Te Wherowhero biography
• Tamihana Te Rauparaha biography
• Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu and the Maori King movement
• Te Heuheu Iwikau biography
• Tuheitia new Maori King
• Wiremu Tamihana biography