Dame Te Atairangikaahu was the Maori queen for 40 years, the longest reign of any Maori monarch.
14 Facts About Te Atairangikaahu
2.
Te Atairangikaahu was born to the name Pikimene Koroki Mahuta within the marriage of Koroki Mahuta and Te Atairangikaahu Herangi; Koroki Mahuta fathered older daughters, Tuura the younger of two, both by Tepaia an earlier relationship.
3.
Te Atairangikaahu had adopted siblings including Sir Robert Mahuta, whose daughter Nanaia Mahuta served as a member of Parliament, customs minister, and in 2020 serves as foreign minister in Jacinda Ardern's cabinet.
4.
Te Atairangikaahu was a descendant of the first Maori king, Potatau Te Wherowhero, and succeeded, King Koroki, becoming queen the day Koroki was buried.
5.
Te Atairangikaahu attended Rakaumanga Primary School and Waikato Diocesan School for Girls.
6.
On 6 February 1987, Te Atairangikaahu was the first appointee to the Order of New Zealand.
7.
Te Atairangikaahu was awarded an honorary doctorate from Waikato University in 1973, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Victoria University in 1999.
8.
Te Atairangikaahu was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal, and in 1993, she was awarded the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal.
9.
Te Atairangikaahu was discharged from hospital later in the month, in time to celebrate her 75th birthday.
10.
Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu died on 15 August 2006, aged 75, at her official residence, Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia.
11.
Te Atairangikaahu's death sparked a week of mourning for Maoridom leading to her funeral on 21 August 2006.
12.
Te Atairangikaahu is buried on Taupiri mountain in an unmarked grave, as are her ancestors, as a sign of equality with their people.
13.
Te Atairangikaahu continued to live at their residence with his son until his death in 2011.
14.
Te Atairangikaahu herself was her father's second daughter, though the eldest was not born to his wife, so any of her children or a leading figure from another iwi could have been appointed.