Political leaders from across the spectrum will gather at Tūrangawaewae Marae this week for the second Koroneihana of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po.
A pōwhiri for politicians is set out for Friday afternoon following two days of kawe mate pōwhiri starting from today.
Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka will represent the National Party, while ACT Minister Karen Chhour will attend on behalf of her . NZ First Deputy leader, Shane Jones will also be in attendance.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters will be absent because they are attending the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau. ACT leader David Seymour will not attend, despite indicating he would have liked to be there.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins will attend alongside a number of Labour MP’s and candidates including senior MP Willie Jackson, Willow-Jean Prime, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel and Shanan Halbert.
Hipkins said Koroneihana was an opportunity to strengthen Labour’s relationship with the Kīngitanga.
“It’s an important event to be part of. I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.
Labour candidate Kingi Kiriona said preparations for the occasion were progressing well.
“Tino pai ngā whakaritenga me ngā kōrero me ngā mana whakahaere a te hunga e whakarite ana i te Koroneihana.”
Its understood Te Pāti Māori will be represented by co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, alongside Oriini Kaipara. Hauraki-Waikato MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke will already be in attendance, taking her place as haukainga.
The Greens co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chloe Swarbrick will be attendance, alongside a number of their MP’s and candidates including Huhana Lyndon.
The Kīngitanga is not formally aligned with any political party, but it has long carried political influence. Its links with Labour were reinforced through former Hauraki-Waikato MP Nanaia Mahuta, a member of the kāhui ariki.
However, those relationships have shifted. The late Kiingi Tūheitia openly supported the Māori Party during the 2017 election and later placed the Kīngitanga at the centre of national debate through hui-ā-motu. The Hauraki-Waikato seat also moved from Labour to Te Pāti Māori in 2023.