New Zealand's new Maori queen anointed as late king laid to rest

Sept. 5 (UPI) -- A new Maori queen was anointed Thursday when the king of New Zealand's indigenous people who died late last month was laid to rest.

A statement from the Kiingitanga, meaning the Maori King movement, said Maori elders had selected Ngawai Hono i te Po to be their eighth monarch and second-ever queen.

At 27-years of age, she is the second youngest monarch to lead the Maori people. She was the youngest and only daughter of Kiingi Tuheitia, the Maori people's seventh monarch, who died Aug. 30 at the age of 69 following heart surgery.

The ceremony began at about 10 a.m. local time Wednesday at Turangawaewae Marae, the Maori monarch's official residence in the town of Ngāruawāhia on New Zealand's North Island.

Thousands were in attendance for the anointing of Ngawai Hono i te Po, which saw a bible placed to her head, the same bible used to anoint the first Maori king in 1858.

Archbishop Don Tamihere then used sacred oils to "bestow prestige, sacredness, power and spiritual essence" upon the new queen, the Kiingitanga statement said.

After, the funeral service for Kiingi Tuheitia was held. His body was transported via hearse that led a grand funeral procession to the Waikato River where his coffin was paddled in a traditional Maori canoe with Ngawai Hono i te Po on board to Taupiri, a mountain that is the movement's sacred burial ground .

The coffin was then carried to the summit of Taupiri where Kiingi Tuheitia was laid to rest.

The Kiingitanga Maori King movement was founded in 1858 amid colonial times through the unifying of Maori tribes under the first king, Pootatau Te Wheowhero, with the goal of preserving their culture and preventing the sale of their land to others. Though the role of monarch is now mostly ceremonial, it plays a unifying role for the Maori people.

Kiingi Tuheitia became king in August 2006, following the death of his mother, Dame Te Atairangikaahu , who served as the longest reigning Maori monarch at more than 40 years and the first Maori queen.

During his reign, Kiingi Tuheitia advocated for his people, participating in campaigns to reduce the incarceration rate of Maori and to support their reintegration upon release. He met with world leaders, including King Charles III of Britain and Pope Francis, and took part in Maori celebrations.

"As Kiingi Tuheitia makes his final journey from Turangawaewae, we reflect on his legacy and look to the future with hope and anticipation," New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a statement . "We welcome the Upoko Ariki, Ngawai hono i te po, who carries forward the mantle of leadership left by her father."