Ngāti Kahungunu join iwi at Māori Queen’s Koroneihana

Ngāti Kahungunu joined iwi from across Aotearoa at the Māori Queen’s second Koroneihana at Tūrangawaewae, with iwi chair Bayden Barber among those speaking on the paepae ahead of her address.

Barber estimated a few hundred from Ngāti Kahungunu attended during the week.

“We must have been up in the hundreds, a couple hundred I would have thought, just from Kahungunu itself,” he told Hawke’s Bay News.

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Kahungunu was among those represented, performing a full bracket at Tūrangawaewae, while Ngāti Kahungunu whānau also joined Barber in waiata following his kōrero on the paepae.

Barber said he was the last of about 10 iwi Māori speakers before Te Arikinui Kuini Ngā wai hono i te pō delivered her address on Saturday.

He said the kōrero from iwi throughout the morning showed the level of support for the Queen from across Aotearoa.

“It was very clear that she has strong support,” Barber said.

He also spoke about the whakapapa links between Ngāti Kahungunu and the Kīngitanga, which he said were reaffirmed during Koroneihana.

“We just reaffirmed those links, those whakapapa links between us, and we were able to sing about that.”

Barber described the week as “fantastic”, with thousands from iwi across the country gathering at Tūrangawaewae.

“Koroneihana is about celebrating who we are as Māori, celebrating our Māori Queen, Te Arikinui, and looking forward to a brighter future.”

Barber said he took from the Queen’s address a message of unity, rangatiratanga and looking towards future generations.

“Her speech was about utilising our unity as iwi, and kotahitanga, which is what her father, Tūheitia, promoted.

“But it’s about putting us at the top, our culture, our language, our tikanga, and go from there.”

He said Māori could become disheartened by political decisions, but the Queen’s message encouraged iwi to take a longer-term view.

“We’ve got to be bigger than that, we’ve got to be more long term,” Barber said.

“We’re here for the duration, we’re not going anywhere.”

Political parties had been welcomed to Tūrangawaewae a day earlier, where Barber said iwi had challenged politicians over issues affecting Māori.

With the general election on November 7, he said there was also a clear message about the importance of enrolling and voting.

“The big thing and the big opportunity for iwi Māori is to get out and vote.”

But Barber said the Queen’s address carried a broader message about Māori driving their own future.

“We can’t wait for governments, because governments are never going to meet us halfway,” he said.

“We have to take the reins of the horse, and we have to drive our success.”

Barber said the Queen’s kōrero was particularly significant for the younger generation.

“She’s talking to her generation, the rangatahi of today, so yeah, there’s a lot to take out of her kōrero.”

He also acknowledged Waikato-Tainui for its manaakitanga throughout Koroneihana, saying thousands had been hosted at Tūrangawaewae during the week.

Barber said the Queen’s address capped off several days of kōrero and celebration.

“Her speech is the icing on the cake,” he said.

“There’s been so much kōrero, but her kauhau, her speech, her address is the big finale.”