The first Koroneihana of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po was both a celebration of Māoritanga and a time of reflection, as the sadness that has lingered over Tūrangawaewae since the passing of her father, Kiingi Tuheitia, remained close to the surface.
After three days of remembering the dearly departed from across the motu, including the late Kiingi Tuheitia, and welcoming thousands of supporters and indigenous dignitaries from Aotearoa, the Pacific and beyond, a special karakia was held on Friday morning to bless Kuini, her whānau and the Kiingitanga movement.
Archbishop Don Tamihere and Rev. Zhane Tiopira Tāhau
Among the Kāhui Wairua at the service, Archbishop Don Tamihere drew on passages from several Psalms to give thanks for the ascension of Te Arikinui and to affirm the spiritual inheritance of the throne passed down by her forebears.
Karakia from many Christian denominations were offered to Te Arikinui. Led by Presbyterian minister, Mahaki Albert, the hour-long service was symbolic of the relationship the Kiingitanga has with religion.
The second Māori King, Tāwhiao reportedly said to the creator of the Pai Mārire faith, Te Ua Haumēne, “E Ua, e toru ngā taonga kei te kapu o taku ringa, ko te Mihinare, ko te Katorika me te Weteriana. Homai tāu ka whā. Kopi katoa ngēnei taonga i au ki te kapu o taku ringa.”
(Ua, I have three treasures in my hands, Anglican, Catholic and Wesleyan. Give me yours and I shall have a fourth. I shall embrace them all)
As such, Tāwhiao was careful not to align the Kiingitanga with any one religious movement, and so it was last week at the celebration of Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, with leaders from Pai Mārire, Tariao (the variation of Pai Mārire developed by Tāwhiao), Rātana, Ringatū, Catholic, Presbyterian, and traditional Karakia Māori laying blessing upon the young monarch.
Archbishop Don Tamihere led the Mihinare karakia alongside members of the Te Aute College and Hukarere Girls’ College chapel teams, later joined by kapa haka groups Te Waka Huia and Te Iti Kahurangi for a powerful rendition of Te Inoi a te Ariki.
Archbishop Don Tamihere’s Karakia
“Ko te tangata kei te Wāhi Ngaro tōnā kainga, ka noho ia ki raro i te taumarumarutanga o te Atua kaha rawa. Ka kīia e au a Ihoa, kōia tōku piringa, kōia tōku pātūwatawata, kōia taku Atua.
Ka whakawhirinaki awau ki a ia. – Psalm 91
Ko wai te rite ki tōhou rite e Ihoa o ngā mano? Ko wai e rite mōhou e te kaihanga o te rangi me te whenua?
Ka whakamoemiti anō ngā rangi e Ihoa ki wāhau mahi whakamīharo, ki tōhou pono hoki ki roto i te whakaminenga o te hunga tapu. Ko wai hoki i ngā rangi hei rite ki a koe e Ihoa. Ko wai i roto i ngā tama a te hunga nunui e rite ana ki tōhou tapu. – Psalm 89: 5-6
Ko te tika me te whakawā te tūranga o tōhou torona, e haere te mahi tohu me te pono i mua i tōhou aroaro. Psalm 89: 14
Ka hari te iwi e mōhio ana ki te tangi whakahari, ki te tangi whakawhetai. E hari ana rātou i te mārama o tōhou mata. Psalm 89: 15
Ko wai e eke ki tōhou maunga e Ihoa, ko wai e tū ki tō wāhi tapu. E kō te tangata nei e mā nei ngā ringa, e hara kore tōna ngākau, kahore nei i ara tōna wairua ki te horihori kahore i oti ki te hē rawa atu. – Psalm 24:3–4
A, ka riro i a ia wāu manaakitanga rawa me wāu atawhainga maha me wāu hōmaitanga papai katoa, e Ihoa. Me te tika o tōhou whakaoranga, mō ake tonu atu. Psalm 24:5
Ki a koe tonu rā e Ihoa, o ngā mano e te Atua kaha rawa, e te puna o te Oranga Ake, e te Ariki o te rongomau, te tapu, te mana te ihi te wehi, te kōroria mō ake tonu atu, Amine.”
Tā Herewini Parata, Chair of Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa (TPOA) and Te Matatini Society Inc, and a member of Te Tekaumārua, was also present at Tūrangawaewae marae. He oversaw the transfer of the Te Matatini mauri from outgoing hosts Te Kāhui Maunga to Tainui Waka, who will welcome the festival to Hopuhopu in 2027.
Many other Mihinare travelled to Koroneihana to tautoko Archbishop Don and Te Arikinui. Maui Tangohau, Poutokomanawa for TPOA, Bishop Philip Richardson, Rev. Zhane Tiopira Tāhau, Rev. Dr Wayne Te Kaawa and ngā ākonga from Hoani Tapu, and Larissa Ruru all joined the celebrations.