Patron

2025 - Present

Ehara taku Māoritanga i te mea ka ara noa mehemea he hoariri tōku, he kaupapa tohe rānei tāku, kāo. Taku Māoritanga kei roto i taku kōrero Māori, taku Māoritanga kei roto i taku tiaki i te taiao, taku Māoritanga kei roto i te pānui me te ako i taku hītori, taku Māoritanga hoki,ahakoa iti, kei roto i taku kōwhiri kē i taku ingoa Māori tēnā i taku ingoa Pākehā, he nui ngā momo whakatinanatanga o te Māoritanga, kaua kau noa i ngā wā o te porotū. 

Ko ngā porotū, ka haramai, ka haere, te Māoritanga, ka mau tonu, ka mau tonu, ka mau tonu, heoi me rite tonu te whāngai i te mauri o tērā Māoritanga rā e mana ai a Mana Motuhake, e tino ai hoki a Tino Rangatiratanga.

Koinei pū taku pāpā i kī ai, ‘Kia Māori, i ia rā, i ia rā’, he mōhio nōna, me whāngai e tātou te mauri o te Māoritanga, āwhā mai, āio mai, porotū mai, porotū kore mai rānei, kei reira te tino whakamōhio ki te ao, e ora ana ahau, e ora ana te Māoritanga. 

Wāhanga kōrero nō te kauhau a Te Arikinui Kuini Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō.- 5 Mahuru 2025

2006 - 2024

During his 18-year reign, Kiingi Tuheitia was a steadfast advocate for unity and Kotahitanga, continuing the legacy the Kiingitanga has upheld for over 165 years.

Despite challenging times, including governmental setbacks on crucial policies, he emphasised that while Māori may be more appreciated abroad, it was important that Māori and the Government collaborated on the country’s future under the Treaty of Waitangi.

Kiingi Tuheitia’s message for unity and peace gathered over 10,000 at Tuurangawaewae, a message he later carried to major celebration at Raatana and Waitangi and again at Omahu Marae in Ngāti Kahungunu.

His commitment to indigenous solutions was evident at the inaugural Pacific Leaders’ meeting in Hawaii, where he signed the Tuurama Ariki Declaration with other Traditional Pacific Leaders, continuing the kinship links established from the time of Te Puea. The Declaration was a pledge to harness ancestral knowledge and unite people in addressing the urgent issue of climate change.

Kiingi Tuheitia was the Patron of Te Matatini, and as a previous performer for Taniwharau, he had a great appreciation and love of kapa haka, and his quiet but enthusiastic presence at the biennial Te Matatini festival will be greatly missed.

The health and wellbeing of our whaanau, te taiao, tikanga and cultural traditions were of paramount importance to Kiingi Tuheitia. He leaves behind a legacy of unwavering dedication to the preservation of the Treaty of Waitangi, so that Māori can live by their values, speak their reo, care of their land and future generations and in his own words “be Māori all day, every day.”

Te Arikinui, Dame Te Atairangikaahu Korokī Te Rata Mahuta Tāwhiao Pootatau Te Wherowhero (1931 – 2006)

Te Arikinui, Dame Te Atairangikaahu (Waikato Tanui) became the sixth Māori monarch and first Māori Queen on 23 May 1966. She served for over 40 years, the longest reign of any Māori monarch. 

Te Atairangikaahu came to enjoy a national profile, embodying Māori identity and symbolising mana Māori at a time when Māori were increasingly asserting their language, culture and rights under the Treaty of Waitangi.

Te Ataairangikaahu was a patroness of the Māori Women’s Welfare League and the Kōhanga Reo movement, demonstrating her tireless advocacy for Māori women and the importance of the Māori language, especially for the young. 

Her presence at Māori Women’s Welfare conferences added mana to the event, and her speeches enthused attendees. Her visits to Kōhanga Reo inspired and encouraged whānau and kaiako to continue teaching te reo Māori to the mokopuna.