Farewelling a King
A new monarch will rise and Kīngi Tuheitia will travel to his final resting place.
Mōrena, and welcome to The Bulletin for Thursday, September 5.
In today’s edition: A new report into the grocery sector brings few surprises, “Raygun” speaks out, and AUT is launching the first university course in Australasia that is – yep – entirely about Taylor Swift.
But first: Let’s hear from The Spinoff’s Liam Rātana and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith who have been on the ground at Tūrangawaewae Marae since yesterday morning.
A farewell fit for the King
Kīngi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII will be laid to rest today, taking his place alongside his predecessors at Taupiri maunga. Since news of his passing was made public early on Friday morning, thousands of mourners have paid their respects at Tūrangawaewae Marae where the King has been lying in state. As The Spinoff’s Lyric Waiwiri-Smith explains in an evocative piece this morning, Kīngi Tūheitia’s body will be transported down the Waikato river from Tūrangawaewae to Taupiri.
Waiwiri-Smith writes:
A fleet of four waka will travel alongside a flower-covered barge carrying the Kīngi’s body upriver to Taupiri. Just as the maunga serves as an ancestor, so does the river.
On Wednesday, final touches were being made to Tūheitia’s float and its surroundings: flower pots were lined up alongside the barge and branches woven together to create greenery from the bridgeway, while the waka fleet attracted admirers along the bank. From today until eternity, Kīngi Tūheitia will rest alongside his mother Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, and the Māori monarchs of times past.
Sombre mood at Tūrangawaewae Marae
A lot of the mainstream media coverage of the past few days has focussed on the high profile arrivals at Tūrangawaewae, including politicians and dignitaries. But many, if not most, of the visitors to the marae have been lesser known. Extended family, close friends, along with iwi representatives from up and down the country. The many and varied people who felt a connection to the King.
The Spinoff’s Ātea editor Liam Rātana has been on the ground at the marae for the past 24 hours and filed this update.
The mood on the ground at Tūrangawaewae Marae for the tangi of Kīngi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII is sombre. There are some understandably tired bodies on the side of Tainui, yet the well-oiled machine continues to operate at full capacity, welcoming and feeding the thousands of manuhiri that continue to show up to pay their respects.
It is quite a spectacle to observe, with hundreds of people manning the hāngī pits, the paepae, and everything in between. Yesterday, the sun was beating down for the final day of grieving before today’s burial. Walking among the crowds and the haukainga, there seems to be a mix of relief and nervousness as the tangi reaches its final hours.
While many will be happy that the tangi is finally nearing its end, there is also a clear desire from Tainui to ensure they give Kīngi Tuheitia the send off he deserves. The final preparations are under way before the nation tunes in for what will be the largest tangi Aotearoa has seen in the last two decades and a new monarch ascends to the throne.
A new monarch to be anointed
As Rātana notes, today will be both a deeply sombre day but also one of celebration. Writing for the Waikato Times, Te Aorewa Rolleston described “a day of sorrow marking the ending of one life, [but] also one of new beginnings”. Before the King’s body is transported to its final resting place, a successor will be publicly named. If you missed Rātana’s excellent explainer from earlier in the week, it clearly lays out the traditional process of selecting a monarch, something that has been taking place behind closed doors since Tuesday.
Te Ao Māori News’ Daniel Perese explains how today will play out. At 10 am, Tekau-mā-rua – or The Kīngitanga advisory council – will bring the new Māori monarch to the throne and introduce them to the public for the first time. There will be a karakia whakawahinga and then the Bible – the same one used for Kīngi Tuheitia’s crowning – will be placed on the head of the new monarch.
A well-oiled machine
Live coverage of the tangi has only given a glimpse at the scale of proceedings. Not only has the marae welcomed thousands of people, it’s also had to cater for them. As Rātana noted above, it’s a spectacle to behold. This 1News piece from earlier in the week went behind the scenes at the marae’s kitchen, where ten lambs and two cows were being butchered and smoked trout was being prepared (just for one day). “At times this is a very sad occasion, but with that is making sure our people are looked after as they volunteer to do the mahi,” said Kīngitanga spokesperson Rahui Papa.
On the latest episode of The Spinoff’s politics podcast Gone by Lunchtime – which also analysed the role of the Kīngitanga movement in domestic politics – Annabelle Lee-Mather jested (or maybe not) that those responsible for the smooth running of Tūrangawaewae should be in charge of the whole country.
If you’re tuned into RNZ this morning, you’ll know that crowds have already started to gather at Tūrangawaewae. Live coverage of the funeral will be broadcast free-to-air on Sky Open from 9.30am this morning if you want to tune in from home. And check back with The Spinoff later in the morning, at about 10.30am, to read more about the new Māori monarch and what happens next.
A curated tour of Modern Women: Flight of Time
A major, free-admission exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Modern Women: Flight of Time explores the trailblazing work of Aotearoa New Zealand’s women artists during the middle decades of the 20th century.
From canonical names like Rita Angus and Frances Hodgkins to lesser known – but trailblazing – painters, sculptors and textile artists, Modern Women is a celebration of women artists’ contribution to modern art in NZ. Read the story here and visit now! (sponsored)
The financial state of Wellington’s councils
On the front page of The Post, Tom Hunt has reported on the murky financial situation at the capital’s three big councils. Wellington City expects to spend $1.6 billion this financial year, which amounts to a 76% increase on the final year of the last council. Meanwhile, Hutt City will spend $572 million, a 102% increase, and Porirua will spend $311m, a 72% increase. A lot of the spending comes from council rates, which have risen, though there is also a significant amount of debt – $1.8bn in the case of the Wellington City council.
It comes shortly after prime minister Christopher Luxon took aim at councils nationwide – though with a particular focus on the capital – for what he saw as frivolous spending. As we discussed last month, Luxon urged councils to get back to basics with a focus on infrastructure and maintenance as opposed to so-called “white elephants” or nice-to-haves (though what he meant by “nice-to-have” is still a bit unclear).
No surprises: Grocery sector booming, calls for intervention
The Commerce Commission’s first report into the grocery sector found, perhaps unsurprisingly, high profit levels and ongoing dominance by the major supermarket brands. The sector is now worth $25bn, reported Stuff’s Brianna McIlraith in a piece breaking down the commission’s findings, while the biggest grocery retailers control 82% of the market.
Writing for BusinessDesk (paywalled), Pattrick Smellie argued that the reports findings were particularly problematic for supermarkets given the public appetite for “something to be done”. Along with banks and the electricity market, supermarkets were public enemy number one.
Consumer NZ, reported RNZ, has reiterated its call for the government to get involved. The watchdog’s head of research, Gemma Rasmussen, said structural change and a possible market break-up were needed. Consumer affairs minister Andrew Bayly seemed reluctant to promise any sort of intervention, but said the government would support the grocery commissioner “to strengthen wholesale arrangements, make sure that supplier arrangements are good as well, and bring more transparency around the sector”.
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Click and Collect
Some care providers are owed $5 million by Oranga Tamariki, funding that was due nearly two months ago.
For Herald Premium subscribers, Thomas Coughlan reports the government is looking at new tools to free up land for housing.
School funds are being flushed down the drain thanks to a "toilet tax" imposed by councils.
Is the dream of Christchurch hosting the Commonwealth Games over?
I enjoyed this piece by my former colleague Tommy de Silva for the Greater Auckland site that asked: What if we freed up our streets, again?
Fast-track timeframes take iwi consultations “from really difficult to impossible”. (Newsroom Pro, paywalled)
It’s been a decade since news broke that Auckland’s iconic Big Day Out festival wouldn’t be coming back.
Australia breakdancer “Raygun” has given her first TV interview since becoming an overnight viral celebrity at the Paris Olympics.
Climate change, community and kai
Reclaiming the relationship between people and their local food sources is central to the concept of kai sovereignty. But what happens when a major weather event wipes out much of a region’s food production?
Two University of Otago researchers are embarking on a major project to find out how Cyclone Gabrielle impacted the mental health of people of Te Tai Rāwhiti Gisborne, through a lens of food security and climate change. Find out more about their research here. (sponsored)
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith visits an Auckland kava lounge that had its online store abruptly shut down. On a recent visit to San Francisco, I was startled to find two pōhutukawa growing on Alcatraz Island. How (and when) did they end up there?The transport minister hates speed bumps. Auckland’s mayor hates road cones. But whose eternal flame of hate burns brightest? Hayden Donnell looks at the facts. In the next instalment of The Spinoff’s “guide to life” series: How to walk through a door.
Pop culture picks, with Alex Casey
The Spinoff’s resident entertainment expert shares some must reads for the week.
The BSA’s ruled that TVNZ have "fallen short" in the onscreen treatment of Dan Mustapic in his son’s satirical comedy show James Must-a-pic His Mum a Man, although in many ways the drama could just be getting started. “Dan hasn’t made any contact with me at any stage to discuss any of this," said James. "If he’d like to reach out, then I suggest he books tickets to my upcoming NZ tour.”
AUT is launching the first university course in Australasia that is entirely about Taylor Swift. The summer school course, called Taylor Swift: Communications Professional, will analyse Swift’s 18-year career through the lens of communications disciplines. Not going to make a cruel summer joke, but even I am nearing Swift saturation.
And for something completely different, I'm obsessed with the trailer for new Amy Adams movie Nightbitch, about a new Mum who slowly starts to turn into a dog.
For more pop culture tidbits, recommendations and reviews, subscribe to The Spinoff’s Rec Room newsletter.
That’s it for this morning, thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow.
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