New Zealand’s Wellington A new Maori Queen was crowned on Thursday. She will be in charge at a time when race relations in New Zealand are at their worst in 20 years.
Representatives said that Maori elders had picked Nga Wai Hono i te Po to take over for her father, King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, who died last week after surgery at the age of 69.
“The new monarch was raised up in a ceremony called Te Whakawahinga, in front of thousands of people who had come to see Kiingi Tuheitia’s tangihanga (funeral and burial),” a royal family spokesman said.
Instead of being crowned, a bible that has been used since 1858 was put on top of the new queen’s head, and Archbishop Don Tamihere used holy oils to give her honor, power, and spirituality.
A traditional funeral was held for him at Tuurangawaewae, where the King movement met. Thousands of people came to say goodbye.
After his daughter was crowned, the King’s coffin was taken by car to the Waikato River. It was then paddled to Taupiri Mountain by a group of traditional Maori waka, or canoes, where he would be buried with other royals and important Maori people.
The Maori King or Queen is the most important leader of a number of tribes, or iwi, but they are not connected to all of them. In New Zealand, the monarch’s job is mostly ceremonial and doesn’t give them any court or legal power.
Representatives from iwi across the country vote on who gets the job, so it’s not always passed down through families. She is 27 years old and the only daughter of the previous King and his wife, Te Atawhai Makau Ariki. She is also the youngest child of the King and his wife.
Radio New Zealand says that the new king or queen, who has two older brothers, was favored to become king or queen, but it wasn’t a sure thing.
The new queen has a Master of Arts in Tikanga, which is Maori social lore. She has also been on a number of boards, including the Te Kohanga Reo National Trust, whose job it is to bring the Maori language back to life, according to 1News.
Christopher Luxon, the prime minister of New Zealand, said that the government was happy with the new queen’s choice because she will continue to lead like her father did.