Māori Queen Is Crowned in Historic Ceremony as Her Father Is Laid to Rest

New Zealand’s Māori chiefs have a new Queen.

On Thursday, Sept. 5, Kiingi Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII — who reigned as the Māori King from 2006 — was laid to rest after he died on Aug. 30 at the age of 69, per the BBC. His death came just days after he celebrated the 18th anniversary of his coronation on Aug. 21.

His 27-year-old daughter Ngā Wai hono i te pō has now become the second Māori Queen, and the eighth monarch of the country’s indigenous Māori chiefs. She was crowned in a special ceremony in the North Island, according to the outlet.

“The new monarch was raised up in a ceremony known as Te Whakawahinga, in front of thousands of people gathered for the tangihanga of Kiingi Tuheitia,” a statement shared on the Kiingitanga’s (Māori King Movement’s) Instagram page read.

The new Queen’s grandmother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, was the first female queen, and reigned for 40 years; the longest of any Māori monarch.

The first Māori king, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, was anointed in 1858, and Ngā Wai hono i te pō was blessed with the same Bible used during his ceremony, the BBC reported.

She sat in front of her late father’s coffin while wearing a wreath and cloak amid prayers and chants ahead of his burial, the outlet added. The late monarch has been late to rest on Mount Taupiri; a hill that is sacred to the Māori people.

Per the New Zealand Herald and NBC News, hundreds of people watched as the flotilla of waka carried the late monarch’s coffin along the Waikato River before taking him to his final resting place.

According to the Associated Press, Kiingi Tuheitia died in hospital following heart surgery.

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Following the late monarch’s death, King Charles was among those paying tribute in a statement shared on the British royal family’s website.

“My wife and I were profoundly saddened to learn of the death of Kiingi Tuheitia,” the message began. “I had the greatest pleasure of knowing Kiingi Tuheitia for decades. He was deeply committed to forging a strong future for Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand founded upon culture, traditions and healing, which he carried out with wisdom and compassion.”

“I remember with immense fondness meeting Kiingi Tuheitia many times, including when Her Majesty and I were hosted so warmly and graciously at the Tuurangawaewae Marae in 2015, and then again during our meeting at Buckingham Palace last year. His death is a particular shock in view of the fact that I had only very recently spoken to Kiingi on the telephone at the beginning of August,” the King added.

“Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui a Tāne. (A mighty Totora tree has fallen.),” the statement continued.

“My wife and I extend our deepest condolences to Kiingi Tuheitia’s whaanau and friends and all those who will mourn his loss. Our special thoughts and prayers will be with you at this most difficult and heartbreaking of times,” the King, 75, concluded, signing the tribute “Charles R.”