Marae prepares for final farewell

Tainui kuia Rangitatau Wood (left) and Maitai Rakena are united in their sorrow. Picture / Sarah Ivey

And so the final journey of the revered Te Arikinui, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, begins.

Thousands of guests from throughout New Zealand and beyond its shores will pass through Turangawaewae Marae and the heart of the Kingitanga to pay respects to the King movement's longest serving leader.

While yesterday morning was reserved for the whanau and Tainui hapu to spend time with Dame Te Ata, from midday the gates were opened to the first of the many expected to pass through the Ngaruawahia marae this week.

Dignitaries and leaders from throughout the Pacific are expected to be among those to be welcomed on to the marae, in preparation for the poroporoaki, or farewell speeches, which will close Sunday evening.

On Monday morning there will be further karakia, before the funeral service is held.

Following the service Maori leaders from the motu (country) and Tainui kaumatua will meet to decide who will be the new king or queen.

This decision will be based on a recommendation from the kahui ariki (royal family), who will meet during this week.

When a decision is reached, the coronation of the new king or queen will take place beside the casket of Dame Te Ata, in line with the tradition of the movement.

From that moment the new monarch becomes tapu, or sacred to all in the Kingitanga, and the responsibilities of role will be accepted.

A Bible is placed above the new monarch's head, and the title is confirmed.

Dame Te Ata will travel by waka to the base of Taupiri mountain, following the coronation, where she will be buried alongside her ancestors.

Whanau spokeswoman Nanaia Mahuta said yesterday that the immediate focus was preparing for the huge numbers of mourners expected at Turangawaewae Marae.

Tainui chairman Tuku Morgan said discussions on a likely successor to Te Arikinui were yet to take place, and emphasised that any decision must be made by the motu.

Dame Te Ata was the sixth person, and the first queen, of the King Movement, which began 148 years ago with the election of Potatau te Wherowhero by several tribes in New Zealand.

To date all the Maori monarchs have been in a direct family line coming from King Potatau.

Mr Morgan said Tainui people were guardians of the King Movement and did not decide who would inherit the position.

"The King Movement doesn't belong to Tainui and it is a historical fact that we've never participated in the significant deliberations that result in who the successor will be," he told media yesterday.

"When Te Arikinui was elevated to the position of Te Arikinui, the Maori Queen, Tainui played no part in the deliberations.

"Our leaders and our elders were asked not to participate because it was the decision for the senior leaders of the motu, those iwi from around the country. We have always abstained from the debate.

"The decision is being left to the senior leaders of tribes around the country. That is a historical fact, and that fact will not change as we go towards the time when we inter her in her sacred mountain, Taupiri."

Tribes connected to the King Movement include the Tainui tribes of Waikato, King Country and Manawatu, iwi based around Tauranga, Rotorua, Taupo, Taranaki and Hawke's Bay.

- Additional reporting NZPA