Excerpt and Photo from tpplus.co.nz
A special invitation from the Kiingitanga and the late Kīngi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII was extended to the Pasifika community to attend a special pōwhiri during the Kiingitanga’s annual Koroneihana celebrations last month.
Hundreds of Pasifika people from across the motu descended upon Turangawaewae Marae to show their support for not only tangata whenua, but also to solidify the close bond that the Kiingitanga and the royal houses of the Pacific have maintained for a long time.
Described by one community leader as a historic event for Pasifika peoples, it brought together representatives from Niue, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Fiji, and Samoa and the Cook Islands.
Members of the judiciary and royal houses of the Pacific were all present to be part of the Koroneihana and to witness the mana and tradition of the Kiingitanga.