Kīngi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII has called for change and for Māori to lead it in his annual speech at Tūrangawaewae Marae on the 17th anniversary of his coronation.
In a somewhat lively and cheeky address, the king started with a mihi before going off-script to reintroduce an “entrée” that he said was taken away from an initial draft of his speech.
He started it by asking those present at the marae to raise their hands if they had ever been to a coronation before, a question that drew a few laughs. He was referring to the time when Phil Goff, High Commissioner of New Zealand to the UK, hosted the king and his entourage at an event in London during the UK’s King Charles’ coronation.
He ended the short course by saying: “There you go Phil Goff, we know what we’re doing!”
It wouldn’t be the last time the king went off script.
The main course of his speech touched on several topical issues – the cost-of-living crisis, the health system, the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle – and the Māori response to them.
He gave an example of a Wairoa farmer who said he owed his life to “two Māori fullas” who raised the alarm during the raising of floodwaters, and how they were still waiting for the Government to show up.
“We heard that story many times,” King Tuheitia said.
He reflected on the many marae that opened their doors to those in need, feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless.
“This is what we do in te iwi Māori,” he said.
Speaking to a packed marae and hundreds who watched a livestream online, the king was critical of ‘the system’ that continually failed Māori. A system that means being Māori is a disadvantage.
“The system is broken. Full of half-pai promises.”
He continued to reiterate the call for change and for Māori to be at the forefront.
“We know we have answers and solutions. We did it with Covid once the Government stopped trying to control everything.
“We always know mana motuhake works. We know that [a] ‘by Māori, for everyone’ approach is right. This is the model for us all. Let[ting] te iwi Māori lead is good for this nation.”
On Sunday, Māori leaders unleashed on politicians, echoing a similar sentiment of Māori autonomy.
King Tuheitia followed up with a pointed message for the next government.
“I challenge the Government – whoever it will be after October – to be a builder, not a wrecker. Work with us – we know what we’re doing.”
Then he addressed the crowd, saying working with government is important – “we need to do it” – but Māori need to lead the change.
“Let’s make our plans and just do it. If Government comes along, ka pai. If not, haere tonu.”
King Tuheitia has thrown his support behind Te Pāti Māori in the past, and he didn’t back away from reaffirming it in his speech, peppering references throughout and giving a shout out to the party’s co-leader Rawiri Waititi. He managed to give Waititi stick about his blue suit too.
But he had a strong message for all Māori MPs, calling on them to unite and “use your voice for te iwi Māori”.
“We will only see the change we really need when there’s unity in the Beehive. Māori MPs, all of you, be the change Aotearoa needs.”
In a final off-script move that would give a glimpse of the man underneath the chiefly korowai, the king wrapped up with “dessert” – revealing a project he said he was passionate about due in part to personal experience.
“I got a real big hang up about justice,” he said. “We’ve been trying to get the police, the courts, [and] Corrections to sit down and talk together. But I couldn’t. We can’t get them to talk together.”
While he didn’t go into his own past – despite garnering a laugh from the crowd after admitting to having had experience with “all three” – he brought up one of his son’s brushes with the law and the court system, saying he was disadvantaged because “he was the Māori king’s son”.
Glossary
mihi – greeting(s)
mana motuhake – self-determination, self-government, autonomy, independence
haere tonu – keep going
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