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National

King Tuheitia to attend coronation

The Māori king will be a member of New Zealand's delegation to King Charles' coronation.

King Tuheitia and his wife, Makau Ariki Atawhai, will travel with Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and others to London for the May 6 event.

Kingitanga chief of staff Archdeacon Ngira Simmonds says King Tuheitia is going to honour the close ties between the royal households, which dates back to the formation of the Kingitanga movement in 1858, during Queen Victoria's reign.

"Our respective monarchies are enduring institutions that share a common commitment to stability and continuity and unity for all peoples," Simmonds says
 
"The Kingitanga will continue to hold the Crown accountable for its role as a partner to Te Tiriti o Waitangi."

Kings' Tainui connection

King Charles has chosen a smaller, shorter, and more diverse coronation ceremony than the one held for his mother in 1953.

Prince Harry confirmed he will attend but his wife Meghan Markle will not.

Sarah Ferguson (Fergie) the ex-wife of Prince Andrew is among those snubbed but it's believed the Duke of York himself is going.

Charles' coronation reunites the sons of the two Queens who completed the Tainui settlement in 1995 after nearly 30 years apart.

This was the first time a British monarch apologised to Māori, and it remains the only piece of legislation signed here and in public by the late Queen Elizabeth.

-Additional reporting Wena Harawira

Public Interest Journalism