Rangatira from across the motu have today chosen Nga wai hono i te po as their Queen, the eighth Maaori monarch and successor to Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII.

The new monarch was raised up in a ceremony known as Te Whakawahinga, in front of thousands of people gathered for the tangihanga of Kiingi Tuheitia.

After the Karakia Whakawahinga, Tumuaki Hone Taamihana placed a bible on the head of Nga wai hono i te po, using the same bible that Tumuaki Wiremu Taamihana used to raise up the first Maaori King Pootatau Te Wherowhero in 1858.

Archbishop Don Tamihere said a Karakia and used sacred oils to bestow prestige, sacredness, power and spiritual essence upon Kuini Nga wai hono i te po.

Te Whakawahinga was followed by a funeral service for Kiingi Tuheitia after which he was carried by waka to the sacred Tainui burial ground of Taupiri Maunga.

Tekau-Maa-Rua Chairman Che Wilson says Te Whakawahinga is an important ceremony dating back for eight generations to Pootatau Te Wherowhero.

“We follow the tikanga of our ancestors who created the Kiingitanga to unify and uplift our people and we have chosen Nga wai hono i te po as our new Monarch.”

© Scoop Media