Catholic leaders attend Turangawaewae celebration

A delegation, led by Auckland Diocese Vicar for Māori Matua Manuel Beazley, was made up of diocesan staff, local Catholics and representatives of Catholic schools in the Waikato-Tainui region. They visited Turangawaewae on September 3.

The occasion was the kawe mate-ā-motu, which is a traditional part of the annual Koroneihana event celebrated by Kiingitanga. The occasion on September 3 gave the whole of Aotearoa the opportunity to bring the memory of deceased loved ones to Tuurangawaewae, stated a Facebook post from Auckland Diocese.

“Through the speeches made, all of the deceased who were brought on to the marae now become the dead of Te Arikinui – and of Turangawaewae. Whenever the dead are memorialised now and forever at Turangawaewae, our dead will be among them. This is the significance of yesterday’s kawe mate. Our delegation brought forward deceased relatives, school mates, friends, those close to them. Pope Francis and Bishop Denis Browne were among those that were carried into [the] sacred space.”

The Vatican ambassador, Archbishop Gábor Pintér, also visited Tuurangawaewae for the occasion.

In an interview with One News, the Archbishop said “I’m here, of course, to represent all the Universal Church at this wonderful ceremony”. When asked what the Kiingitanga represents, Archbishop Pintér said “It is not only an office, it’s not only a title, but it’s much more, we are representing the stability in a country”.

Kingi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII died on August 30, 2024, at the age of 69.  The late king’s youngest daughter, Nga Wai hono i te po, was named his successor at the age of 27.

Te Arikinui Nga Wai hono i te po is the second Kuini. The first was her grandmother Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu.

It was Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu who asked that her granddaughter be baptised by the late Auxiliary Bishop Max Takuira Matthew Mariu SM of Hamilton, the first Māori Catholic bishop.

The late Te Arikinui’s intention behind having her granddaughter baptised was not only to unite tribes near the Waikato and Whanganui rivers, but also to be a unification of faiths, bridging the Kiingitanga movement and the Catholic Church.

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Facebook (Catholic Diocese of Auckland)

Facebook (NZCBC)

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