Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po pictured alongside brother Korotangi Paki at her first Koroneihana celebrations. Photo: Image courtesy of Te Tari o te Kiingitanga
Thousands descended on Tūrangawaewae Marae on Wednesday, as the opportunity to mourn loved ones and celebrate the accession of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono I te po was opened up to the motū.
Iwi by iwi, ope by ope, visitors marched through the gates of the marae, serenaded by the brass bands of the Rātana Church.
Like Tuesday, people brought their kawe mate - the memory of loved ones who had died - as organisers estimated the gathering swelled to about 9000 people.
Kiingitanga kaikōrero Moko Tini said the workforce at the marae had doubled to properly cater for the masses.
"The swell of rangatahi that are here with the effervescence and energy that they have... we get to relax and enjoy, and see the years and years of labour that our kaumatua, ruruhi, koroheke have invested into our people."
She said many of the whānau pani who arrived were part of Te Arikinui's upbringing.
"That's her nana, that's her koro... koro Bom, June Mariu [there are] many times when she's with her friends from Te Whānau ā Apanui.
"To receive them today in her official capacity, it's another pull on the heartstrings."
The Kiingitanga released a report on the impact of Hui ā Motu - called for by Kiingi Tuheitia and held in January last year - which 10,000 people attended.
The hui focused on kotahitanga - unity - and, according to the review, the voices of rangatahi Māori must be elevated.
"They have come through koohanga well educated, steeped in te ao Māori and fluent in te reo," the report said. "They see the world differently, and are ready to fight for equity and genuine mana motuhake."
It also called for economic sovereignty and new Māori models of development, and highlighted the importance of unity across iwi, and between Māori and non-Māori.
The "challenge" of kotahitanga (solidarity), laid down by Kiingi Tuheitia, now passed to daughter Te Arikinui, the report said.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer told RNZ that, at just 28 years old, the Queen would be around for a long time.
"I wasn't around when our last kuini [queen] had her coronation, when she was young [and] this is going to be our kuini for 50 years."
"Our rangatahi know that they've grown up with her too, so there's just a real affinity with the legacy of her papa to say to unite and to be together, and to think together." Ngarewa-Packer said
Ngātiwai leader Aperahama Edwards said Māori of all ages looked at the queen and felt hopeful for the future.
"We look upon her and we're hopeful." he said. "We've seen, under the leadership of the coalition government, blatant attack on our basic rights as tangata whenua - our taonga, our reo - but we come together in settings like this to remember our uniqueness - our unique place in Aotearoa.
"I look forward to the council that Te Arikinui will share on the day of her koroneihana [coronation], and the hope that will give te iwi Māori and the nation."
Pacific leaders were due at the marae on Thursday.
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