Māori

CloakKoroneihana

A list of resources to help you find information on Koroneihana/Coronation and Kingitanga

Introduction

When Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, Paramount chief of the Waikato tribes was announced as the first Māori King in 1858, the foundations were laid and now Koroneihanais an annual event. All succeeding kings and the present-day king are thedescendants of this Waikato chief, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero.

Today Te Koroneihana is a calling together of all Māori to discuss important issues, as well as the bringing together of a continuous and highly regarded genealogy. It isan open invitation tovisitors from Aotearoaand throughout the World, to join and to celebrate the unique and important customs and traditions of Kingitanga, and of Māori.

Hundreds flock to Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia each year to take part in Koroneihana, a huge cultural and sporting Festival.

"Kingitanga stands for the love we bear for one another. It tells when we are right and what is right. It stands for Mana Motuhake, the importance of our faith in ourselves under God. It draws us back, always to have respect for orderly conduct according to both Māori custom and the law of the land which came with the Treaty that was signed by two people during the reign of Queen Victoria."
Part of a speech made by Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu at the 35th coronation anniversary celebrations at Turangawaewae published in Mana: the Māori news magazine for all New Zealanders Jun/Jul 2001; 40:52-53

Coronation days - A time line

This pathfinder offers you a selection of books, articles (including magazine and electronic) and videos on Koroneihana, the coronation of the Māori Kings and Queen. To extend your understanding of koroneihana, a selection of books and articles on Kingitanga (the King Movement) have also been added to this list.

CarvingBooks

Commemorating the 20th anniversary of Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu DBE Hon.D., 23 May 1986
King Koroki, the fifth Māori king, died at 5:45am on Wednesday 18 May 1966 at Turongo House. The matter of his successor was an immediate concern.
He Rourou iti: selected speeches / of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu edited and with an introduction by Miria Simpson
The speeches recorded in this book have been chosen to illustrate the wide range of calls made on Te Arikinui.
Koroki my King by Carmen Kirkwood
A collection of memories of King Koroki, the fifth Māori king. These memoirs have been offered by the people of Waikato.
Queen Te Atairangikaahu: the first twenty-five years : commemorating the silver jubilee of Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu DBE Hon.D., 23 May 1991
This pictorial essay tells of the accession of Te Ariki Tapairu Princess Piki to the head of the Kingitanga Movement.
Tāwhiao ; King or prophet
This is the story of Tukaroto, Methuselah Matutaera, Tāwhiao, - King Tāwhiao the second Māori King anointed Pōtatau II - to commemorate his 34 year reign from 1960 - 1894 and to coincide with the 34th anniversary of Koroneihana/Coronation of Te Ariki, Dame Te Atairangikaahu an eight day celebration from 16 to the 23rd May 2000
Te Arikinui and the millennium of Waikato by Carmen Kirkwood
This book celebrates the 35 year reign from 1966 2001 of Te Arikinui, Te Kuini, Te Atairangikaahu.
(It is recommended that the publication Tawhiao King or Prophet be read first and then the book Koroki My King. Together they will give an appreciation of the King movement (Kingitanga).
Te Kingitanga: the people of the Māori King movement - Essays from The dictionary of New Zealand biography
These biographies of fourteen Kingitanga leaders from Pōtatau to Te Rata tell the story of the movement in the 20th century.
The Māori King by J.E. Gorst
The Māori King or the story of our quarrel with the natives of NZ was said to be the full title of this publication. The first Māori king Pōtatau Wherowhero elected to the leadership of the federated Waikato Tribes in 1858, died in June 1860 soon after Gorst (the author of this book) arrived in Auckland. Gorst did not have high regard for his successor, his son Tawhiao Matuaera Pōtatau.
The realms of King Tāwhiao : with review of causes of 1860-64 Māori Wars by Dick Craig
This book covers the fascinating story ofTāwhiao, king of the Māori people from 1860-1894. It tells of the fight for nationhood by the Māori. The writer it is said has gone to great pains topresent the facts objectively.

Articles & Electronic essays

WeavingMagazine articles

Te Koroneihana from Mana: the Māori news magazine for all New Zealanders Jun/Jul 2006; 70:32-34
An article written Derek Fox describing the atmosphere at the 2006 coronation celebrations at Turangawaewae where more than 7000 people crammed the forecourt of the wharenui 'Mahinaarangi' to hear Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangi Kaahu give her address on the final day of Te Koroneihana.
Born to be Queen from Mana: the Māori news magazine for all New Zealanders Feb/Mar 2003; 5:45-55
An interview with Queen Te Atairangikaahu by Derek Fox. Pages 54-55 "The ways of our Tupuna" contains excerpts from two of her speeches
Doing it for the motu from Mana: the Māori news magazine for all New Zealanders Feb/Mar 2003; 5:58-63
An interview with James Ritchie by Derek Fox. This interview outlines the history of the King Movement.
The Kingitanga from Mana: the Māori news magazine for all New Zealanders Feb/Mar 2003; 5:63-68
Kingitanga came into being in 1858, largely because Māori didn't want to keep losing their lands. This is an account of the birth of Kingitanga
A journey through time from Mana: the Māori news magazine for all New Zealanders Jun/Jul 2001; 40:52-53
An excerpt from the speech made in May 2001 by Te Atairangikaahu at the 35th coronation anniversary celebrations

CarvingElectronic essays and biographies

Coronation Hui at Turangawaewae fromTe Ao Hou Sept 1967 no. 60 p 25
"From all parts of New Zealand, people came to Turangawaewae to commemorate the death of King Koroki, to celebrate the end of Queen Te Atairangikaahu's year of mourning and take part in the annual celebrations marking her coronation …"
Herangi, Te Kirihaehae Te Puea1883 1952, a Waikato woman of mana, Kingitanga leader by Ann Parsonson
The original version of this biography was published in Ngā Taumata Rau: Dictionary of New Zealand Biography Volume Three (1901-1920), 1996.
Te Puea Herangi was born at Whatiwhatihoe, near Pirongia, on 9 November 1883. Her mother was Tiahuia, daughter of Tawhiao Te Wherowhero of Ngāti Mahuta, the second Māori King, and his senior wife, Hera. Her father was Te Tahuna Herangi, son of William Searancke, an English surveyor, and Hariata Rangitaupa of Ngāti Ngawaero hapu of Ngāti Maniapoto. Te Puea was thus born into the kahui ariki, the family of the first Māori King, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero. She was to play a crucial role alongside three successive kings in re-establishing the Kingitanga (King movement) as a central force among the Tainui people, and in achieving national recognition of its importance.
Māori king Election andCoronation from 'An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand,' edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966. Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 11 July 2005
Because the Māori "King" is the paramount chief of several important tribes, the tangi following his death is always a long-drawn-out and lavish occasion. While the tangi is taking place, the Kauhanganui, or Māori Parliament, meets to choose his successor: The coronation takes place on the last day of the tangi for the dead "King" and shortly before his interment. Looks at the tikanga surrounding Te Koroneihana.
The King Movement by Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 6 October 2005
Includes a timeline ofKing Movement Leaders and an extract from an often performed King movement haka.
Te Wherowhero, Mahuta Tawhiao Potatau 18551912 from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966. Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 11 July 2005
Mahuta Te Wherowhero the Third Māori "King" was born about 1855 at Whatiwhatihoe. He was the second son of Tāwhiao and his first wife, Hera. On 14 September 1894 the Kauhanganui (Māori Parliament) elected him to succeed his father, and he was crowned as "King". He became a member of the Legislative Council in 1903. but his frustration with the laws concerning Māori lands was the catalyst for his departure from politics. Mahuta died at Waahi on 9 November 1912, he was survived by his widow, Te Mare, and five sons. His eldest son Te Rata. succeeded to the "Kingship."
Te Wherowhero, Te Rata Mahuta Tawhiao Potatau 18801933 from:An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966. Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 11 July 2005
Te Rata Te Wherowhero the Fourth Māori "King". was born at Waahi, Huntly, in 1880 and was the eldest of the five sons of Mahuta and Te Mare. After his father's death Te Rata was elected to the kingship and he was crowned on 24 November. Te Rata was well educated and interested in overseas trade. In 1913 Te Rata visited England where he was received by King George V. Te Rata died at Waahi on 1 October 1933. He was survived by his widow, Te Uranga, and one son. This son, Koroki, succeeded to the kingship.
Koroki Te Rata Mahuta Tāwhiao Pōtatau Te Wherowhero 1908/1909? - 1966
 Ballara, Angela. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, updated 7 July 2005
The original version of this biography was published in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography Volume Four (1921-1940), 1998
Koroki's father, Te Rata, died on 1 October 1933. Koroki begged Te Puea not to make him take his father's place: he did not feel fit for the task. He expressed similar doubts to Pei Te Hurinui Jones. But at the tangihanga for Te Rata it was agreed by all the visiting chiefs that the Kingitanga should continue and that Koroki should be the successor.
You can listen to Koroki's first public speech, on 17 March 1938 at the opening of the meeting house Turongo at Ngaruawahia. He speaks a brief welcome in Māori.
Te Wherowhero [Tāwhiao], Matutaera Te Pukepuke Te Paue Te Karato Te-a-Potatau Tāwhiao. Sometimes called Pōtatau II, (182594). Second Māori "King" from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966. Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 11 July 2005
Tāwhiao was born in 1825 at Mokau, where the whole Waikato tribe had retreated after the fall of Matakitaki pā on the Waipa River. He was the eldest son of Pōtatau Te Wherowhero and of Whakaawi. When the aged Pōtatau died in the winter of 1860 the movement split over the succession. One party favoured his sister Te Paea, and the other, Tāwhiao. When Tamihana gave his support to the latter party the kingship passed to Tāwhiao.
E Wherowhero, Pōtatau, or Pōtatau I : Paramount chief of the Waikato tribes and first Māori King from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966. Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 11 July 2005
Te Wherowhero was born about 1800 and was the son of Te Rauangaanga, who at this time had just become the principal war chief of the Waikato tribes. His mother was Te Parengaope, a high chieftainess of the Ngāti Koura. After 1848, when the land question began to press upon the Māori, Te Wherowhero gradually turned against the Government and in his old age reluctantly accepted the position of Māori "King". In 1857, at Pukawa, on the south-eastern shores of Taupo, he was "crowned" as "King". His coronation took place at Ngaruawahia in April 1858.

Videos

Koroneihana
This video examines the origins of the Kingitanga movement and reviews the 26th Coronation in 1992 [60 min]
Te Kingitanga
The contents of this video are intended to supplement the Māori language teaching course Te Kōhure Whanake 4.

See also our page on The Māori Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu.