Maori King Tuheita ‘belittled’ at coronation event snub

Maori King Tūheitia claims his culture and royal status were ignored by officials, including the NZ High Commissioner, at the London event.

Prince Charles with Maori King Kiingi Tuheitia at Turangawaewae Marae in 2015. Picture: AAP.

A New Zealand coronation event in the UK has been marred by an apparent snub to the Maori King, who claims his culture and royal status were ignored by those present.

Kingi Tūheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII’s spokesman said the King felt “belittled” after a traditional karakia (Maori incantation) was not carried out at a gathering for Kiwi coronation guests at NZ House in London.

Kingi Tuheitia was also insulted when NZ High Commissioner Phil Goff told the gathering, which included Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Governor-general Dame Cindy Kiro, no-one in the room had been to a coronation before, apparently ignoring the fact that the Maori King had been to his own coronation, and to that of his mother, the Maori Queen, Radio NZ reports.

After Mr Goff’s remarks, Arch Deacon Ngira Simmonds told the gathering: “I need to express significant disappointment as to what has taken place here.

“When this happens, the experience we feel as Māori is one of being pushed down in the life of our nation where Pākehā (white people) are lifted up,” he added to applause.

Mr Simmonds said he was “disappointed” by the NZ government and everyone at the gathering.

“We have had [a coronation] too, it took place in 2006, all of the leaders of our nation were there,” he said.

“Yes, this is a significant occasion. Yes, this is absolutely unique and will not be seen in many many lifetimes. But, again, to lift that up at the expense of something else only belittles Māori experience and reality.”

The Maori royal family have developed a warm relationship with their British counterpart, since King Te Rapa was received at Buckingham Palace by King George V and Queen Mary in 1914.

Queen Elizabeth II, known by the Maori as Te Kotuku, became the first British monarch to meet with the Kingitanga (Maori royal family) in 1953, when she and Prince Philip visited Tūrangawaewae Marae, the Maori Kings’ and Queens’ ancestral home in the Waikato.

In 1995, Queen Elizabeth personally delivered an apology from the British Crown to Maori and signed the country’s first Treaty settlement, which included land and financial compensation totalling $170 million.

King Charles and Camilla also visited the Turangawaewae Marae in 2015, cementing ongoing ties between the families.

Mr Simmonds said King Charles had extended several invitations to the Kingitanga to attend his coronation.

“Therein lies the commitment of the crown to the Kīngitanga, to te iwi Māori, to our many rangatira who are gathered here today,” he said.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told reporters the apparent snub was a “regrettable” incident.

“I think it is important to acknowledge the importance of the Kīngitanga and the significance of the Kīngitanga within Aotearoa New Zealand,” he said.

“Any of my comments around this coronation, if I have not acknowledged that, it is certainly something I will reflect on,” he said.