CHANGING OF THE GUARD

New Zealand’s Māori Have a New 27-Year-Old Queen

A 27-year-old woman was anointed as the new monarch of New Zealand’s Māori people—as tensions rise between the indigenous population and New Zealand's center-right government.

A 27-year-old woman was anointed as queen of the Māori people of New Zealand on Thursday. Ngā wai hono i te po was named the new king of the Kiingitanga, or Maori King movement, after her father, King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, died at age 69 last week following heart surgery. Ngā is only the second woman to lead the Māori monarchy since its founding in 1858. The office is largely ceremonial, and King Charles III remains New Zealand’s head of state and crowned monarch. However, Tuheita’s role became more political over the last year, serving as a unifying symbol as New Zealand’s center-right governing coalition began controversial steps to roll back Māori sovereignty. These included shuttering the Māori Health Authority earlier this year and rolling back the use of the Māori language—a move that sparked large protests in Auckland shortly after the government formed. In January, the king called a national hui, or tribal meeting, attended by about 10,000 Māori to protest the changes.