John Campbell reported from Tūrangawaewae as Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po gave her first speech as Māori Queen, and found a marae full of people who felt they were watching something begin.
John Campbell: The Maori Queen speaks and it's a new, vital voice for NZ
John Campbell reported from Tūrangawaewae as Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po gave her first speech as Māori Queen, and found a marae full of people who felt they were watching something begin.
Dressed in a blue that the correspondent described as sky, light and infinity, the Queen returned five times to the phrase āke, āke, forever. She spoke of being tired of talking about fighting and the forever nature of that struggle, asking when the moment would come to be successful, healthy and liberated forever.
The address struck a different register from the political speeches that usually dominate coverage of Māori affairs. It was patient rather than combative, and directed as much at rangatahi in the crowd as at anyone in Wellington.
Campbell's reading was that New Zealand has gained a new and vital public voice, one whose authority comes from continuity rather than from contest.
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