King movement was originally a movement that sought to unite New Zealand’s Māori people under a single Māori monarch. The king movement, also called the Kīngitanga, began in the late 1850’s as a response to the rapid European colonization of New Zealand. The original goal of the movement was to prevent individual Māori chiefs from selling Māori land to Europeans. The movement also sought to increase the political power and cultural unity of the Māori. Today, the movement seeks to bring together Māori people to uphold their culture, integrity, and place in New Zealand society.
European colonists’ demand for Māori land grew during the 1840’s and 1850’s. Land ownership disputes between Māori and Europeans became more common. Disputes also arose among Māori themselves. Some Māori chiefs wished to sell land, but many others opposed such sales. During the 1850’s, a number of Māori leaders began to encourage the tribes to unite and place their lands under the authority of a single king. One of the main leaders of this effort was Wiremu Tāmihana, a chief of the Ngāti Hauā tribe who became known as the “kingmaker.” His full name was Wiremu Tāmihana Tarapīpipi Te Waharoa.
In 1858, a group of Māori leaders met at Ngaruawahia, in the Waikato region of New Zealand’s North Island, and elected Te Wherowhero, a Waikato tribal chief, as the first king. Te Wherowhero took the name Pōtatau I. The tribes that united under Pōtatau I agreed to sell no more land to European settlers.
The king movement tried to establish and enforce its own laws. However, British colonial leaders in New Zealand were reluctant to recognize the king movement. Pōtatau I died in 1860, and his son Tūkaroto Matutaera, later known as Tāwhiao, succeeded him as king. Tāwhiao’s full name was Tūkaroto Matutaera Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Tāwhiao.
In 1860, war broke out when a group of Māori disputed the colonial government’s purchase of tribal land in the Taranaki region of the North Island. Government forces seized a Māori fortification built on the disputed land near the mouth of the Waitara River. The initial fighting in the Waitara area lasted about a year. In 1863, the British governor Sir George Grey ordered the invasion of the Waikato, which was occupied by Māori loyal to King Tāwhiao. The colonial government gained control of much Māori land in the Waikato and forced Tāwhiao’s people to withdraw to an inland region known as the King Country. For many years, the King Country remained largely isolated from European influence.
The New Zealand Wars between Māori and Europeans continued until 1872. During and after the wars, Europeans continued to gain control of Māori land through both seizure and purchase. In 1881, King Tāwhiao officially made peace with the colonial government. During the 1880’s, Māori chiefs in the King Country gradually lifted prohibitions that had blocked Europeans from settling there.
Today, the king movement continues to be based at Ngaruawahia, and it still holds great cultural and spiritual importance for many Māori. In 2006, the Māori queen, Te Arikinui Dame Te Ātairangikaahu, died. She had led the movement since 1966, making her reign the longest of any Māori monarch. Her oldest son, Te Arikinui Tūheitia Paki, succeeded her as king.
