Kīngi Tuheitia will host a national hui to unify the nation and ensure all voices are heard when holding the new Coalition Government to account.
The Māori king said that was the message from many rangatira across the motu last weekend who had travelled to the Tamaki Makaurau and Tainui regions to celebrate the 165th anniversary of the birth of the Kiingitanga movement.
He called for a Te Paki o Matariki - a Royal Proclamation - for the national hui to be held in Ngaruawahia in January.
Māori leaders – including Te Ariki Taa Tumu Te Heuheu and Ratana Tumuaki, Manuao Te Kohamutunga Tamou – agreed that the Crown must be a responsible Treaty partner and unify, not divide the nation. They are supporting the King’s call for the national hui.
The king’s chief of staff Ngira Simmonds says there was a much divisive rhetoric during the election campaign which was being felt by many New Zealanders – both Māori and non-Māori.