Amid the grief following the death of their king, the Maori people rejoiced as the late monarch’s youngest daughter, Nga Wai hono i te po, was named as his successor.
Chosen by the council of Maori chiefs, the 27-year-old made her first appearance as kuini (Queen) 5 September taking her place on a throne near the coffin of her father, the late King Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII.
According to the Catholic news website, CathNews New Zealand, it was Queen Te Arikinui who asked that her granddaughter be baptised by the late Auxiliary Bishop Max Takuira Matthew Mariu of Hamilton, the first Maori Catholic bishop.
Her baptism in the settlement town of Parakino was not only meant to symbolically unite Maori tribes in the areas near the Waikato and Whanganui Rivers, but also to signify the close ties between the Kiingitanga movement and the Catholic Church, CathNews New Zealand reported.
The new queen’s name was inspired by the symbolism of her baptism: “Ngawai Hono ki Parakino,” which translates to the “Joining of the Rivers” in Maori.
