Dame Naida Glavish and Lorraine Toki alongside national leader Christopher Luxon for the coronation of King Charles the third at Westminster Abbey in London. Photo / NZME
Māori delegates including King Tuheitia, Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro and Dame Rangimārie Naida Glavish have descended on Westminster Abbey in London to mark the coronation of British King Charles the III.
An edict by Charles that the coronation should reflect diversity and inclusion meant some in his own family were shunned for attendees from throughout the commonwealth.
Kīngi Tuheitia and wife Makau Ariki Atawhai are joined by Dame Naida Glavish and Lorraine Toki.
Ben Appleton, the Kaiāwhina and Director of Ngāti Rānana London Māori Club is also in attendance, alongside Rhieve Grey, a Graduate student and 2021 Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.
Victoria Cross recipient Willie Apiata is also there alongside kiwi rugby great and Order of New Zealand representative Richie McCaw.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins stepped out of his hotel in a kākahu created and leant to the government by Gerry Williamson of Ngāti Rānana London Māori Club and gifted to the New Zealand Embassy in Paris for special occasions, Hipkins said.
“So hence, I’m having the opportunity to wear it today.” Hipkins said.
Hipkins, a self professed Republican called the moment a “very, very special day”.
“There’s a lot of Kiwis who will be looking upon this... as such an extraordinary event, something they wouldn’t have seen before.” Hipkins said.
Earlier in the day at a private audience at Buckingham Palace, Māori King Tuheitia and King Charles III shared a moment of mutual respect and recollection, as they bonded over their decades-long friendship culminating in Kīngi Tuheitia presenting King Charles with a series of taonga.
King Tuheitia gifted the regalia of The Order of King Pootatau Te Wherowhero in the Supreme Class to the British monarch. This is the highest honour in the Kīngitanga Royal Orders, reserved exclusively for Monarchs. Queen Camilla was also gifted The Order of Queen Te Arikinui Te Atairangikāhu in the First Class.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro at the coronation ceremony of King Charles III. Photo / AP
In addition to the orders, King Charles received Te Wherowhero tartan and a mere pounamu crafted by Jason Nathan, the husband of prominent fashion designer Kiri Nathan called 'He Kura Pounamu'. The gifts were a symbol of the enduring friendship and long-standing relationship between the two kingdoms, Kīngitanga spokesperson archdeacon Ngira Simmonds said.
Charles' coronation reunites the sons of the two Queens who completed the Tainui settlement in 1995 after nearly 30 years apart.
This was the first time a British monarch apologised to Māori, and it remains the only piece of legislation signed here and in public by the late Queen Elizabeth.
"King Tuheitia wants to honor the friendship that has developed over some years between himself and King Charles, that most auspiciously began when the Prince of Wales then Prince of Wales visited Tūrangawaewae marae."
From then until now there have been a number of exchanges between the two of them. And that friendship has developed and grown."
"Of course, the friendship now takes a different form. It's no longer a friendship between a king and the prince. It's now a king and a king and this is to mark that change".
King Tuheitia and King Charles III meet to exchange taonga and memories, prior to Charles' coronation later today. Photo / Supplied
The occasion was marked with the words "He Kura Pounamu, He Taatai Roa, He Herenga Roa", which translates to "a prized treasure, a long relationship, an enduring friendship."
Sergeant Hayden Smith, DSD, from the Royal New Zealand Air Force is representing New Zealand as flag-bearer in Westminster Abbey. He will wear the NZDF’s Ngā Tapuwae kahu huruhuru cloak.
"The wearing of the Kahu marks achievement in a way that follows in the footsteps of those who have gone before and sacrificed for others.” an NZDF spokesperson said.
The meeting between the two monarchs came after an incident where the New Zealand government failed to follow tikanga at the opening event for the delegation from Aotearoa.
The event was supposed to open with karakia and an acknowledgment of the king, but instead Ambassador Phil Goff started by acknowledging the Prime Minister and Governor General, and eventually, with his body side-on to the king, he acknowledged the monarch.
Met with puzzled faces, Goff then made a clumsy reference about how few people in the crowd had seen a coronation in the past, seemingly to illustrate the significance of the proceedings involving the new British monarch, but failing to recognise Kīngitanga himself.
It saw an interjection by Archdeacon Simmonds who expressed disappointment in the NZ Embassy and organisers. The delegation was "belittled" by the Government.
"When this happens the experience we feel as Māori is one of being pushed down in the life of our nation where pākehā are lifted up." Simmonds said.
Despite the challenges on the NZ government side, Simmonds said the meeting between the two Kings was a moment of unity and friendship.
Asked why Tuheitia was gifting anything to King Charles given the history of land confiscations in Aotearoa, Simmonds said the taonga was a symbol of the enduring bond between Māori and British monarchies.
"He's offering these gifts to his peer to King Charles, in the hope that they will be received and honored and that relationship might share something different for the future generations of our mokopuna."
The coronation of King Charles III holds great significance for te ao Māori, particularly as it relates to the Treaty of Waitangi.
As King Charles III assumes the throne, there is hope that he will continue the work of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in addressing historical grievances and strengthening the relationship between Māori and the Crown.
Coronation of HM King Charles III and HM Queen Camilla. Video / BBC
Charles' presence at Waitangi in 1994 where he spoke in both English and te reo Māori, was seen as a positive indication of his commitment to the Treaty and to Māori.
Given the enduring relationship between King Tuheitia and the British monarch, Simmonds says the Kīngitanga is optimistic.
"In line with the saying of King Tāwhiao 'E kore tēnei whakaoranga e huri ki tua o aku mokopuna' his hope is that tomorrow will be different for our children and our grandchildren" Simmonds said.
More to come...
