All the material on this page has the protection of international copyright. Te Atairangikaahu, Maoridom's longest serving monarch. In a speech at the celebration of her coronation 35 years ago, Dame Te Ata said the only way forward was a return to Maori custom.
Recent troubles are largely of our own making.
We caused it, we can cure it. Dame Te Ata urged a renewal of vows to the Kingitanga and a move away from the court action that has seen Tainui spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees in the past 12 months. Maori lore and custom is required, not the courts. With pakeha law, the final decision is left to strangers. Dame Te Ata, Maoridom's first female monarch and now the longest serving head of the Kingitanga movement, was joined at yesterday's celebrations by Pacific Island leaders, re-affirming Maori ties to the Pacific.