Rangatahi carry Kiingitanga values of kotahitanga at first Koroneihana for Māori Queen

As thousands of people descend on Turangawaewae this week for the first Koroneihana of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, the key theme of kotahitanga remains strong, carried forward by the next generation of rangatahi.

While there will be an air of mourning, with the first two days dedicated to ngā Kawe Mate o Tainui Waka and o te motu, it will also be a celebration of the Kiingitanga and its history.

For many people who RNZ spoke to on Tuesday, it was also a moment to look to the future and consider the values that will guide the movement in the years ahead.

For rangatahi from Ngā Taiātea Wharekura, the celebrations were about kotahitanga and carrying forward the legacy of the late Kiingi Tuheitia.

Amaghru Turinui said the Koroneihana was particularly significant as it marked the first for their new Queen.

"Kia māua tupu ake roto i ngā uaratanga o te Kiingitanga, waihoki ko te kaupapa te mea matua tō mātau Kuini tōna Koroneihana tuatahi."

For the two of us who grew up within the values of the Kiingitanga, the main thing is our Queen and her first Koroneihana.

She said it was a time to celebrate both kotahitanga (unity) and leadership.

"Ko te mea nui ko te kotahitanga ara tō mātau Kiingi a Tuheitia ki te rangi, nāna te kōrero Māori all day every day, arā ko ngā uaratanga o te kotahitanga."

To me the main thing, if you are working in the kitchen or in front of the marae, is unity, that's what our late King Tuheitia said: 'Māori all day every day,' those are part of the values of unity.

Kotahitanga at the heart

The focus of this year's Koroneihana was kotahitanga, with Kiingitanga spokesperson Rahui Papa emphasising politics would take a back seat.

He said the celebrations were about kotahitanga across te ao Māori and Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, with whānau, tamariki and pakeke at the centre.

That kaupapa was also echoed by the rangatahi RNZ spoke to.

Turinui said seeing rangatahi play a key role at Koroneihana was a clear example of how the next generation were being encouraged to step up and lead.

"Ki au miharo rawa te kite i te ara mai o te rangatahi i ēnei rā tonu, he momo āki i ō mātau kaumātua, mātua rā anō hoki."

To me it's amazing to see our young people coming through, to challenge and encourage our parents and grandparents.

Fellow ākonga and friend Nevaeh Amaria Hapi-Rudolph said it was a time to celebrate both kotahitanga (unity) and leadership.

She said their Kuini was a role model not only for rangatahi but for wāhine across the motu.

"Ehara i te mea ko ia te tauira mō ngā tamariki rangatahi anake engari mō ngā wāhine hoki. Ko ia tērā e whakaatu ana i te mana, te ihi ērā momo i ngā wā katoa, ko ia tērā hoki e arahi i tāna iwi, tāna motu."

The Queen isn't just an example for young people but for women as well. She is showing the authority, the power, and she is leading her iwi and her nation.

Carrying forward tikanga

For 20-year-old cousins Māia-Jane Karena and Marley Brown-Wilson, Koroneihana was also about maintaining tikanga and whānau responsibilities.

"Our roles and responsibilities here come from our nan. She was one of the kaiarahi on the ara over there, so as rangatahi we're starting to take up her mahi as well."

Both said continuing those traditions was vital.

"It's important to keep these traditions and tikanga alive, and also to maintain these values within our whānau as well," Karena said.

Their late aunty, remembered through kawe mate this week, was also a guiding presence in their lives.

"She was very tata to us both, and she was another very significant presence in our lives as well… Crack-up, funny-as, hilarious, very manaaki too. There was always food at the table for us, always a place to stay."

Karena said the sense of kotahitanga was clear at Tūrangawaewae.

"Within Tainui itself, everyone's manaaki, everyone's very tau. It's nice to see rangatahi coming through as well, and yeah, the āhua is pai."

She said having Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po as a leader, was also very inspiring.

"It's cool, especially with some of her values coming through, with rangatahi being more present and more seen. It's nice to see that the younger generations are getting involved as well, myself included."

'Kia kōrero Māori te katoa'

Looking ahead at the future for te iwi Māori, specifically in Waikato Tainui, the rangatahi said their hopes and aspirations were to toitū and kōrero Māori.

"Ki ahau nei kia kōrero Māori te katoa, kia kite i te whānau ki ngā kaupapa katoa," Hapi-Rudolph said.

To me we should all be speaking te reo and seeing the whole whānau at different events.

Karena also shared that same vision.

"Within te iwi Māori, my hope is just to get the reo out, myself as well. Just learning reo, I think that's a starting point for a lot of people. And with the reo comes the tikanga and all the other things te ao Māori brings as well."

Brown-Wilson hopes more whānau are inspired to put their tamariki through wharekura, kura kaupapa and kōhanga reo.

"All those places, so we can have more Māori speakers as the generations come."

As the celebrations continued through the week at Turangawaewae, thousands were expected to embrace te ao Māori with kapa haka, kai and kōrero.