Koroki Terata Maori King 1933 1939

edmondsallan - Hello - In his first few years as King, Koroki, sometimes referred to as the 'boy' by his elder relatives, was closely supervised by his uncles Tumate and Tonga Mahuta, and by the senior elder of the family, Haunui Tawhiao. Tumate and Tonga had their own plans for the kingdom, which they felt should retain its centre at Waahi pa.I often read many articles in the waikato times newspaper on the comings & goings of the " Maori Royal Family . Haunui Tawhiao was a follower of T. W. Ratana, and with Te Puea's cousin, Piupiu Te Wherowhero, succeeded in getting Koroki's first official act as King to be a visit to Ratana pa. Te Puea was doing her utmost to draw Koroki away from the Ratana movement and into her plans for the revival of the kingdom and the marae at Ngaruawahia. Another faction was led by Tarapipipi Taingakawa Te Waharoa at Rukumoana, Morrinsville, a centre also of Ngati Haua. The third kingmaker, he also claimed as a hereditary position the title tumuaki (leader) of the Maori Kingdom of Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu (the North and South Islands).
It was decided by the kahui ariki (royal family) that Koroki must remain aloof from politics, yet every political action had to be done in his name, and his agreement, or at least his presence, obtained as an endorsement of their activities. Especially in his early years as King, he found himself pulled this way and that by the different requirements of his elders. At an early coronation hui at Waahi pa, an annual event throughout Koroki's reign, Haunui Tawhiao had decided Koroki was not to appear on the marae; Te Puea told Koroki: ‘If there were no people there would be no need for a King! The people are here to honour you. You in return must honour the people'. Koroki went onto the marae. Koroki's difficulties were apparent in his belated support for Tumate in his negotiations for a settlement of the Waikato confiscation claim in 1938. He was committed to the support of Tumate, but at the same time he was bound by his predecessors' recognition of the tumuaki and his Kauhanganui (Great Council) at Rukumoana. The tumuaki could use Koroki's presence at Rukumoana as an endorsement of his own more conservative position. From the beginning of his reign Koroki's life was a round of official engagements. At Turangawaewae he entertained visiting VIPs, Polynesian royalty and nobility, governors general, prime ministers and ministers of the Crown, and Allied officers in the Second World War. He attended numerous poukai (meetings on Kingitanga marae, where he renewed acquaintance with his people and received their contributions to the King movement). He also attended the tangihanga of many Waikato and Ngati Maniapoto elders, and was a guest at many events in other tribal areas. He was at the Waitangi Treaty House celebration in 1934. The cost of these functions and visits was very high, and Koroki was often embarrassed by shortage of funds.
Not all of these occasions went off harmoniously, and Koroki's elders often refused to permit him to attend others. In Otaki, there was a controversy over whether it was fitting for Koroki to pass under a door lintel carved in the likeness of a female ancestor with her thighs open and sexual organs exposed. Ngati Raukawa and Waikato elders with him were adamantly opposed. However, the carvers threatened all comers with the consequences of a breach of tapu if the carving was removed or altered. One version of the outcome was that Koroki entered by the window at the back of the house. In another, it was realised that he was a descendant of the female ancestor concerned, so that passing under the lintel would not demean him. Koroki turned down an invitation to the East Coast to attend the opening of Wi Potae's new house at Tokomaru in 1934 and one at Ohinemutu in 1942. On both occasions, others had been asked to open the houses. Many of the controversies in Koroki's reign related to the constant battle to maintain the dignity of the Kingitanga and obtain both Pakeha and Maori recognition of it. It was a see-saw process, his special status alternately recognised and rejected. In 1933 Labour members of Parliament, grateful for the care shown to Harry Holland after his collapse at the graveside of Te Rata, sent an address to ‘King Koroki'. The governor general, Lord Bledisloe, paid Koroki special honour at Waitangi, and told him that he wanted him to be a figurehead for his people. But Ngata and other Maori were at pains to stress that they did not mind what the Waikato people chose to call their hereditary ariki, as long as he did not challenge the sovereignty of the British Crown and the New Zealand Parliament. In 1939 the government refused to exempt Koroki and his wife from registering under the social security regulations. I think we should remember respectfully that in these earlier times the Maori Royal family owned much land & had many very valuable treasures . Unfortuneately these did not earn them much income . It is only in recent years that the waikato maori people have gained considerably in the financial world . Till we meet again - Regards - edmondsallan