First day of coronation jubilee, but there's no guest of honour

Tainui kuia welcome a group on to the marae for Dame Te Ata's anniversary. Picture / Amos Chapple

Organisers have played down the absence of the Maori Queen from the first day of a week-long celebration commemorating the 40th anniversary of her crowning.

More than 5000 people turned out for the opening day of festivities at Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia yesterday. However, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the first Maori Queen and the longest serving monarch, did not attend.

It is understood 74-year-old Dame Te Ata, who receives dialysis three times a week, was conserving her strength for what is scheduled to be a busy week.

The opening day was dominated by the return of grieving whanau from throughout the Tainui region for kawe mate - remembrance for those who have died in the past year.

The day was marked by solemn processions of hundreds returning to the marae with photos of those who had died.

The processions were followed by oratory, marked with occasional laughter, and song.

Tainui kaumatua Hare Puke said the kawe mate was a means of sharing grief. It was also a means of demonstrating loyalty to the Kingitanga, a movement formed in the mid 1800s to protect Maori land and mana under a Maori king.

"The significance of today is to demonstrate the loyalty and commitment to the Kingitanga. It is also an expression of acknowledgement for those that have passed."

He said the placement of kawe mate on the first day of the commemorations highlighted the significance Maori placed on remembering their dead. "It shows our obligation to the departed and their families, and allows the order of the present to then follow."

He said the mix of speeches, song and laughter helped unburden the grieving family members.

Tainui chairman Tuku Morgan said Dame Te Ata was disappointed she could not attend the opening day, but she was confident of attending today's commemorations which included ceremonies marking the death of her father, King Koroki, on May 18, 1966.

Mr Morgan said he was overwhelmed by the numbers of people on the first day.