Whatumoana Paki
Encyclopedia
Whatumoana Paki was a New Zealand
Maori
royal elder. Paki was the husband of the late Maori Queen, Te Atairangikaahu
, who reigned from 1966 to 2006. He and Te Atairangikaahu were the parents of the present Maori King, Tuheitia Paki
.
Whatumoana Paki was born in Huntly, New Zealand
, to parents, Wetere and Francis Paki. He was of dual Te Aupōuri
and Ngati Whawhakia descent. The Te Aupōuri are the northern most Maori iwi
, or tribal group, in New Zealand. Paki worked as a farmer
and coalminer during his early career. He became one of the principle maintenance people for Maori marae
located along the Waikato River
on the North Island
, which includes the Mangatautari marae
.
By the 1950s, Paki began dating Princess Piki Mahuta, the only daughter of King Korokī and heir to the Māori King Movement
. The couple married in 1952. They had seven children - Heeni Wharemaru, Kiri Tokia Ete Tomairangi, Tuheitia
, Maharaia, Mihikiteao, Kiki and Te Manawanui.
King Korokī died in 1966. Paki's wife succeeded her father as Maori Queen and became known as Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu. As the consort of the Queen, Paki had to step back from public statements and defer public opinions to her. Dame Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi, a longtime friend of Paki, recalled that Paki told her of his expected role within the monarchy, "He shared with me that a kaumatua
told him, 'Just remember that you must leave all the statements to her.' For a man who had a very strong mind that can't have been easy. Gosh, I know some men who wouldn't have done that for anything. But he did it with panache and he was a tower of strength behind Dame Te Ata.." Together they Paki and Te Atairangikaahu built their home at Waahi Pa in Huntly. Dame Te Atairangikaahu died in 2006 after 54 years of marriage. Paki's son Tuheitia Paki
, succeeded his mother as Maori king. Paki had wanted a tombstone for his wife, but members of the royal family of Tainui, called kaahui ariki, are not permitted to have monuments at their graves. Instead, Paki planted a breed of purple rose
s, named specifically for Te Atairangikaahu, around a memorial stone at their home in Waahi Pa.
Paki continued to live at his home at Waahi Pa following Te Atairangikaahu's death. He was was ill and hospitalized for much of 2011. However, Paki checked himself out of the hospital in August 2011 to attend his son's fifth coronation (Koroneihana) anniversary celebrations, and powhiri
.
Whatumoana Paki died on September 22, 2011, at the age of 85 after a long illness. His funeral was held at his home at Waahi Pa, Huntly, with dignitaries attending from as far away as the Cook Islands
, Hawaii
, and Samoa
. He was buried on Mount Taupiri
next to his wife. He was driven to Mount Taupiri in a 1930 Model A Ford, which he restored.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Maori
Māori
The Māori are the native or indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand . They arrived in New Zealand from eastern Polynesia in several waves at some time before 1300 CE. Over several centuries in isolation, the Māori developed a unique culture with their own language, a rich mythology,...
royal elder. Paki was the husband of the late Maori Queen, Te Atairangikaahu
Te Atairangikaahu
Dame Te Atairangikaahu, ONZ, DBE, OStJ was the Māori queen for 40 years, the longest reign of any Māori monarch. Her full name and title was Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu...
, who reigned from 1966 to 2006. He and Te Atairangikaahu were the parents of the present Maori King, Tuheitia Paki
Tuheitia Paki
Tuheitia Paki, KStJ is the current Māori King in New Zealand. He is the eldest son of the previous Māori monarch, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, and was announced as her successor and crowned on the same day as her tangihanga took place, on 21 August 2006...
.
Whatumoana Paki was born in Huntly, New Zealand
Huntly, New Zealand
Huntly is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 1, 93 kilometres south of Auckland and 35 kilometres north of Hamilton. It is situated on the North Island Main Trunk Railway and straddles the Waikato River.Huntly was called Rahui Pokeka when...
, to parents, Wetere and Francis Paki. He was of dual Te Aupōuri
Te Aupouri
Te Aupōuri is the northernmost Māori iwi , located north of Kaitaia, Northland, New Zealand, a region known as the Aupouri Peninsula.-The ancestral legend:...
and Ngati Whawhakia descent. The Te Aupōuri are the northern most Maori iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
, or tribal group, in New Zealand. Paki worked as a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and coalminer during his early career. He became one of the principle maintenance people for Maori marae
Marae
A marae malae , malae , is a communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies...
located along the Waikato River
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...
on the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
, which includes the Mangatautari marae
Mangatautari marae
Maungatautari marae is a marae in the Waikato Region of New Zealand, on the northern edge of Maungatautari mountain, overlooking the Waikato River. It is the main marae for the Taute, Kara, Tupaea, Wirihana, Poka and Tauroa whānau, among others....
.
By the 1950s, Paki began dating Princess Piki Mahuta, the only daughter of King Korokī and heir to the Māori King Movement
Maori King Movement
The Māori King Movement or Kīngitanga is a movement that arose among some of the Māori tribes of New Zealand in the central North Island ,in the 1850s, to establish a role similar in status to that of the monarch of the colonising people, the British, as a way of halting the alienation of Māori land...
. The couple married in 1952. They had seven children - Heeni Wharemaru, Kiri Tokia Ete Tomairangi, Tuheitia
Tuheitia Paki
Tuheitia Paki, KStJ is the current Māori King in New Zealand. He is the eldest son of the previous Māori monarch, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, and was announced as her successor and crowned on the same day as her tangihanga took place, on 21 August 2006...
, Maharaia, Mihikiteao, Kiki and Te Manawanui.
King Korokī died in 1966. Paki's wife succeeded her father as Maori Queen and became known as Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu. As the consort of the Queen, Paki had to step back from public statements and defer public opinions to her. Dame Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi, a longtime friend of Paki, recalled that Paki told her of his expected role within the monarchy, "He shared with me that a kaumatua
Kaumatua
Kaumātua are respected tribal elders of either gender in a Māori community who have been involved with their whānau for a number of years. They are appointed by their people who believe the chosen elders have the capacity to teach and guide both current and future generations...
told him, 'Just remember that you must leave all the statements to her.' For a man who had a very strong mind that can't have been easy. Gosh, I know some men who wouldn't have done that for anything. But he did it with panache and he was a tower of strength behind Dame Te Ata.." Together they Paki and Te Atairangikaahu built their home at Waahi Pa in Huntly. Dame Te Atairangikaahu died in 2006 after 54 years of marriage. Paki's son Tuheitia Paki
Tuheitia Paki
Tuheitia Paki, KStJ is the current Māori King in New Zealand. He is the eldest son of the previous Māori monarch, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, and was announced as her successor and crowned on the same day as her tangihanga took place, on 21 August 2006...
, succeeded his mother as Maori king. Paki had wanted a tombstone for his wife, but members of the royal family of Tainui, called kaahui ariki, are not permitted to have monuments at their graves. Instead, Paki planted a breed of purple rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s, named specifically for Te Atairangikaahu, around a memorial stone at their home in Waahi Pa.
Paki continued to live at his home at Waahi Pa following Te Atairangikaahu's death. He was was ill and hospitalized for much of 2011. However, Paki checked himself out of the hospital in August 2011 to attend his son's fifth coronation (Koroneihana) anniversary celebrations, and powhiri
Powhiri
A Pōwhiri is a Māori welcoming ceremony involving speeches, dancing, singing and finally the hongi...
.
Whatumoana Paki died on September 22, 2011, at the age of 85 after a long illness. His funeral was held at his home at Waahi Pa, Huntly, with dignitaries attending from as far away as the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
. He was buried on Mount Taupiri
Mount Taupiri
Mount Taupiri is a sacred mountain and burial place for the Tainui Māori People based in the Waikato in the town of Taupiri.Taupiri is a small township on State Highway 1 and the Waikato River north of the town of Ngaruawahia and south of Huntly in the Waikato Region...
next to his wife. He was driven to Mount Taupiri in a 1930 Model A Ford, which he restored.