Te Atairangikaahu

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Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu
Māori Queen
Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu
Taken at Tūrongo House, Ngāruawāhia
Reign 23 May 1966 – 15 August 2006
Coronation 23 May 1966
Full name Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu
Born 23 July 1931 (1931-07-23)
Birthplace Waahi Marae, Huntly
Died 15 August 2006 (aged 75)
Place of death Turangawaewae Marae, Ngaruawahia
Buried Mount Taupiri
Predecessor Korokī Te Rata Mahuta Tāwhiao Te Wherowhero
Successor Tuheitia Paki
Consort Whatumoana Paki
Royal House Te Wherowhero
Father Korokī Te Rata Mahuta Tāwhiao Te Wherowhero
Mother Te Atairangikaahu Herangi

Dame Te Atairangikaahu ONZ, DBE (23 July 1931 – 15 August 2006) was the Māori queen for 40 years, the longest reign of any Māori monarch. Her full name and title was Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Her title Te Arikinui (meaning Great Chief) and name Te Atairangikaahu (meaning the hawk of the morning sky) were bestowed when she became monarch; previously she was known as Princess Piki Mahuta and, after marriage, Princess Piki Paki.

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[edit] Life

She was the only birth child of Korokī Mahuta and Te Atairangikaahu Hērangi; her father had an older daughter, Tuura, by an earlier relationship. Dame Te Atairangikaahu had adopted siblings including Sir Robert Mahuta, whose daughter Nanaia Mahuta is a member of Parliament. Dame Te Atairangikaahu was a descendant of the first Māori king, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, and succeeded her father, King Korokī, becoming queen the day Korokī was buried.[1] She married Whatumoana Paki, a farmer, and they had seven children.

The office of the Māori monarch holds no constitutional function, but Te Atairangikaahu was an avid supporter of cultural and sporting events and commonly appeared in a figurehead role at locally held, international political events involving indigenous issues. Her official residence was Turongo House in Turangawaewae.

In 1970, she became the first Māori to be made a Dame, specifically a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.[2] She was one of the first inductees of the Order of New Zealand when it was established in 1987. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Waikato University in 1973, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Victoria University in 1999.

In December 2005, she started dialysis treatment when her kidneys began to fail.[3] On 11 July 2006, Te Atairangikaahu suffered a possible heart attack and was admitted to intensive care in Waikato Hospital, Hamilton.[4] She was discharged from hospital later in the month, in time to celebrate her 75th birthday.[5]

Te Atairangikaahu died on 15 August 2006 at her official residence, Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia.[6][7] Six of her children were present, with another daughter attempting to return from Australia.[8] Her death sparked a week of mourning for Māoridom leading to her funeral on 21 August 2006.[9][1] She is buried on Taupiri mountain in an unmarked grave, as are her ancestors, as a sign of equality with their people. [10]

[edit] Succession

Tuheitia Paki, her eldest son, was chosen during the mourning period as her successor with the help of a "kingmaker", after the consent of the chiefs of all the leading tribes was sought. Her eldest child, a daughter, Heeni Katipa, was the next leading contender for the position. As an elective monarchy, the post is not automatically inherited by primogeniture (Te Atairangikaahu herself was her father's second daughter, though the eldest was not born to his wife), [11] so any one of her children or a leading figure from another iwi could have been appointed.[12] This however would have been surprising, given the importance of lineage in Maori society, and the tradition of hereditary succession which had been rigidly followed since the Movement was instituted.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Traditional mourning period begins for Maori queen", Irish Examiner, 2006-08-16. Retrieved on 2006-08-16. 
  2. ^ "Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu dies, age 75", Radio New Zealand, 2006-08-15. Retrieved on 2006-08-15. 
  3. ^ "Maori queen on dialysis", NZ Herald, 2006-01-06. Retrieved on 2006-07-30. 
  4. ^ Jon, Stokes. "Maori Queen in intensive care after heart attack", NZ Herald, 2006-07-12. Retrieved on 2006-07-12. 
  5. ^ "Maori Queen home for birthday", NZ Herald, 2006-07-23. Retrieved on 2006-07-30. 
  6. ^ "Maori Queen dies after 40 years on the throne", NZ Herald, 2006-08-15. Retrieved on 2006-08-15. 
  7. ^ "Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu, Queen of New Zealand's Maori", Washington Post, 2006-08-16. Retrieved on 2006-08-16. 
  8. ^ "Dame Te Ata busy to the end", Susan Pepperell and Yvonne Tahana, stuff.co.nz, 2006-08-16. Retrieved on 2006-08-16. 
  9. ^ "Aug 21 funeral scheduled for Maori Queen of New Zealand", Antara News, 2006-08-16. Retrieved on 2006-08-16. 
  10. ^ "Public's final tribute to Maori Queen", TVNZ. Retrieved on 2006-08-20. 
  11. ^ "Four decades of our kind of queen; THEY SAY", The Dominion Post, 2006-05-27. Retrieved on 2006-08-15. 
  12. ^ "New Zealand mourns Maori queen", Sydney Morning Herald, 2006-08-16. Retrieved on 2006-08-16. 
Wikinews

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Korokī Mahuta		 Māori Monarch
1966 – 2006		 Succeeded by
Tuheitia Paki
v • d • e
Māori Monarchs
Te Paki o Matariki


Persondata
NAME Kaahu, Te Atairangi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu
SHORT DESCRIPTION Māori Queen
DATE OF BIRTH July 23, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH August 15, 2006
PLACE OF DEATH Ngaruawahia