22 November 2008
Maori unity's fragile future
1 September 2006
By Qiane Corfield: Te Waha Nui Online
As the new Maori King steps into the role, Te Waha Nui considers what the future will hold for the Kingitanga movement.
Speculation has begun about the role the new Maori King, Tuheitia Paki, will have to play if he wants to carry on his mother’s work.
Many believe he will have a big job ahead if he tries to continue uniting Maori and help lead them into the future.
But the consensus appears to be: give him time.
Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia believes Dame Te Atairangikaahu had a huge impact on people’s lives and that King Tuheitia just needs to get used to his new position.
“Clearly Dame Te Ata raised the profile of the Kingitanga and the new king will have to find his place in his own way and will need to be given time to do that,” he says.
During Te Atairangikaahu’s funeral, a vast number of people paid their respects to the Maori Queen, putting protest, opposition and politics aside.
AUT University history professor Paul Moon believes the funeral was a positive portrayal of the Maori community. The coverage was a good opportunity to show the “good side” of Maori, after the recent coverage over the death of the Kahui twins.
He says it was good to see people coming together voluntarily to work behind the scenes but believes there are bigger issues in New Zealand and the harmony will soon end.
“It is very seldom that you get a unity like that seen at the funeral, but this is not going to make much of an impact on race relations.
“The divisions are still there. Not all iwi acknowledged [Te Atairangikaahu] as their Queen and this disunity needs to be worked through.”
The Kingitanga movement was established in 1858 when Maori selected their first king to unite the tribes of Aotearoa as they struggled to maintain land ownership amid an invasion of European settlers.
The idea that iwi unity will not last in today’s society is not supported by Isaac Rakena, of Waikato.
He says that although it was a very sad loss, Te Arikinui’s passing was what Maori needed to reunite for the common goal of becoming an economic force, and believes the Kingitanga will still be successful.
“It will still play an integral role in the continued effort to unite Maori and improve the general growth and progress of our people,” he says.
“The hope is that, through our new king, Maori will still have close association with the people whom Te Atairangikaahu made relationships with throughout the world.”
The media coverage of Te Atairangikaahu’s funeral is predicted to aid the Kingitanga movement and bring it to the forefront of race relations and political debate.
The producer of the TVNZ Maori news programme Te Karere, Moari Stafford, says the funeral will “go down in history”.
“Live broadcasts went all across New Zealand and it was streamed to the world,” he says.
“Before this, people were not aware of the Kingitanga or what Te Arikinui had done. The coverage showed that she has forged a pathway for Maori to move forward.”
Stafford agrees that the Kingitanga is still an important aspect of Maori society and believes King Tuheitia will have a lot of work to do.
But, he says, Kingitanga isn’t for everyone.
“It isn’t something you force onto people. You either believe it or you don’t. It will only survive behind the strength and support of people.”
Stafford notes that the recent media coverage of King Tuheitia in the crowd of a rugby match is a good way of portraying him to the youth of today and may strengthen his relationship with younger people.
According to Rakena, the biggest challenge King Tuheitia will face is gaining acceptance from today’s youth.
“I don’t think he’ll have any problem with his own people supporting him,” he says.
“I think with his many advisers he could potentially become a king embraced by the many.”
The general consensus among many Maori is that King Tuheitia just needs time to settle into his new role and, according to Rakena, when he does, he will be as influential as his mother.
“The Kingitanga is the people, as Te Atairangikaahu said, and our king is the preserver of that taonga.”
