Photograph: Phil Walter/Getty Images. Retrieved from theguardian.com
Excerpt from theguardian.com
An estimated 3,000 Māori leaders, tribal representatives and a number of politicians are expected to meet this week, after the Kiingitanga* – the Māori king movement – called for a rare national meeting amid simmering tensions over the new National-led government’s direction for Māori.
Late last year, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII issued the extremely rare royal proclamation asking iwi (tribes) to meet to “unify the nation and ensure all voices are heard when holding the new coalition government to account”.
What is the Kiingitanga and what is its function?
The Kiingitanga was founded in 1858, in an attempt to unite Māori tribes under a single sovereign at a time when the British settler population was increasing, Māori were facing political and material marginalisation, and division was growing between different Māori groups over whether to sell land to the British. The movement’s goals were aimed at preserving Māori culture and land in the face of colonisation.
