Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po delivered her second annual address today, urging te iwi Māori to learn from the past and seek enlightenment despite the grievances and injustices.
She called for Māori to remain united, strengthen the mauri of kotahitanga, and work together to build a stronger future.
Tūrangawaewae marae was brimming with people on Saturday, listening to Te Arikinui deliver her kauhau which saw the formal Koroneihana commemorations draw to an end.
She opened her address acknowledging everyone who attended the celebrations over the last week, as well as the many ariki from across the Pacific who joined in alongside te iwi Māori.
Furthermore, Te Arikinui Kuini Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō encouraged Māori to look beyond the pain and injustices experienced by those who have passed on, and to focus instead on building a brighter future.
“Koinei te rā i kīia ai ahau, āe, i heke iho mai te raupatu ki ahau, engari ehake tērā i taku tuakiri. Ahau, āe, he uri ahau nō te raupatu, waihoki he toa ahau mō te rauora, ka puta, ka ora, koinei te rā.”
“Kua eke ki te wā, e mutu ai tā tātou kī nō te kāwanatanga anake te hē, māku anō tōku whare e hanga.”
‘Uri o te Raupatu, Toa o te Rauora’
Te Arikinui explained in her address the way in which her generation was raised, knowing the hurt and suffering Māori have faced throughout history post-colonisation.
Further explaining, it was normal to blame the government for the continued oppression of te iwi Māori.
However, Te Arikinui has encouraged Māori to look beyond and search for the ‘rauora’ which she explains as the means to finding enlightenment.
The tongikura ‘Uri o te Raupatu, Toa o te Rauora’ highlights the shift te iwi Māori must make in order to find a better protected future for tamariki and mokopuna.
“Nau mai tātou ki te ope o te rauora, nau mai tātou ki te reka o te anamata, nau mai te whakaohonga hou o te iwi Māori. Kua eke ki te wā, paimārire.”
Koroneihana 2026
The 2026 Koroneihana has drawn thousands to Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia, with iwi and whānau travelling from across Aotearoa. No definitive attendance figure has yet been released.
Politicians were welcomed on Friday and whilst the kōrero was respectful, it was also frank, with MPs from across the political spectrum challenged over the Treaty relationship, Māori aspirations and the long-term future of the country.
Kiingitanga spokesperson Rāhui Papa urged politicians to look beyond the electoral cycle and avoid treating Māori issues as election-year promises, while Ngāi Tahu leader Justin Tipa criticised what he described as shallow debate over the Treaty.
Manawa Toki Tuu
Over the next two days, rōpū haka from across the country will take to the stage at Tūrangawaewae to perform for Te Arikinui as part of the annual Koroneihana commemorations.
Iwi have spent weeks preparing their performances, with thousands expected to gather and watch the kapa haka unfold. The celebrations will also turn attention towards Te Matatini o Ngā Taniwha, the national kapa haka festival to be hosted by Tainui Waka under the leadership of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po.
The festival will bring together the country’s leading rōpū in what will be a major cultural event for Waikato-Tainui and the Kiingitanga.
