Ngaruawahia – July 2024. His Majesty’s Hon Consul-General of the Kingdom of Tonga to Portugal, Anthony Bailey, accompanied by Miss Farley Rentschler visited Ngāruawāhia for a private audience with the Māori King and Queen. The Chief of Staff of His Majesty, Ngira Simmonds and Miss Farley Rentschler also attended.
His Majesty King Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII was elected and succeeded his mother Dame Te Atairangikaahu as monarch in 2006. The King and the Queen Makau Ariki Te Atawhai enjoy a very long and warm relationship with successive Tongan monarchs. The Maori King and Queen attended the Coronation of His Majesty King Tupou VI of Tonga in 2015 and the 60th Birthday celebrations of King Tupou VI in Nuku’alofa in July 2019. The Tongan monarchs have been regular honoured guests of the Maori King and Queen in Aotearoa-New Zealand.
Before the audience King Tūheitia arranged a visit for Anthony Bailey, whom he enjoys a close personal relationship, to the historic Tūrangawaewae Marae. This is the headquarters for the Māori King Movement (Te Kīngitanga) and the official residence and reception centre. It is here that the Maori monarch receives heads of state and government and where the annual coronation celebrations and royal regatta take place.
Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand opened the building in 1974 together with the then Māori Queen who reigned for over 40 years. Leaders who have visited include South African President Nelson Mandela, many members of the British royal family as well as successive governors-general and prime ministers of Aotearoa-New Zealand.
The Kīngitanga (Māori King movement) is one of Aotearoa-New Zealand’s oldest surviving political institutions, founded in 1858. The Māori monarchy continues to operate today as an enduring expression of Māori unity. It also plays an important cultural and social role in Māori communities and the wider Aotearoa-New Zealand identity. It is hoped that the Maori King and Queen will visit Portugal in 2025.
