New Maori Queen anointed as her father, the King, is buried

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A new Maori Queen was anointed Thursday, taking on the role at a time when New Zealand is facing some of the biggest challenges to race relations in two decades.

A statement released by representatives said Nga Wai Hono i te Po had been chosen by Maori elders to replace her father, King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, who died aged 69 last week following surgery.

“The new monarch was raised up in a ceremony known as Te Whakawahinga, in front of thousands of people gathered for the tangihanga (funeral and burial) of Kiingi Tuheitia,” a spokesperson for the Kiingitanga or royal family said.

The new queen is not crowned and instead a bible that has been used since 1858 was placed upon her head and Archbishop Don Tamihere used sacred oils to bestow prestige, sacredness, power and spiritual essence upon her.

Thousands gathered at Tuurangawaewae, the meeting place of the King movement, to farewell him in a traditional funeral.

Following the anointment of his daughter, the King's coffin was taken to the Waikato River by hearse before being paddled in a flotilla of traditional Maori waka or canoe to Taupiri Mountain, where he was to be buried alongside other royals and high-profile Maori.

The Maori King or Queen is considered the paramount chief of several tribes, or iwi, but is not affiliated with all of them. The monarch's role has no judicial or legal authority in New Zealand and is largely ceremonial.

The role is not necessarily hereditary but voted on by representatives from iwi across the country. The new queen, or Kuini, is the only daughter and youngest child of the former King and his wife Te Atawhai Makau Ariki and is aged 27.

Radio New Zealand says that the new monarch, who has two older brothers, was favoured to ascend the throne, although it had not been a foregone conclusion.

The new queen holds a Master of Arts in Tikanga (societal lore of) Maori and has served on a number of boards include that of the Te Kohanga Reo National Trust, an organisation charged with revitalising Maori language, according to 1News.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the government welcomed the new queen’s appointment as she carries forward the mantle of leadership left by her father.

Her anointment comes at a time when New Zealand is struggling with race relations.

New Zealand's centre-right coalition which took office last year has started undoing policies of previous governments, particularly those promoting the official use of the Maori language, the enhancement of Indigenous living standards and rights and efforts to repair some of the wrongs undertaken during colonisation.

King Tuheitia held a gathering of tribes from across the country in January to discuss how to respond to government plans. As King Tuheitia told the thousands who attended that their voices matter, his daughter, the new queen stood beside him.

(Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Michael Perry)