Who will be the Maori King’s successor?
There have been seven Maori Kings or Queens. The duration of each reign was:
- Two years
- 34 years
- 18 years
- 21 years
- 32 years
- 40 years
- 18 years
While all the Maori Monarchs have been descendants of the 1st King, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, this is not a requirement. The Tekau-mā-rua could appoint anyone, but tradition has been they don’t.
The three children of the late King are:
- Whatumoana Te Aa
- Te Ariki Taituruki Korotangi
- Te Puhi Ariki Ngā Wai hono i te po
The oldest son is considered unlikely now. In 2022 the Herald reported:
Sources told the NZ Herald that the statement from the King’s office on June 25, 2022, of the disapproval of the marriage to Tahana, was an accumulation of 18 months of deep frustration and hurt, an attempted coup of the Kīngitanga by Whatumoana, mounting debts around the motu, and his dabbling in aspects of black magic.
So a coup, a cult and black magic don’t seem like a likely Monarch.
The second son has issues also, as reported in 2020:
A son of the Māori King punched his girlfriend several times in the head leaving her with a black eye in what a judge called a clear case of domestic violence.
He also has a conviction for drink driving and got a discharge for alleged burglary and theft in 2014.
This leaves the daughter. She is only in her 20s but is a member of the governing council of Waikato University, where she got a BA and MA. She is also a member of the Waitangi National Trust Board, the Te Kohanga Reo National Trust, and the Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development.
Not my call of course, but seems like a pretty easy decision to me!