The New Zealand Maori Queen, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, passed away yesterday, August 15th, 2006, at home at the Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia, just north of Hamilton. Dame Te Ata was aged 75 years and had recently celebrated 40 years as the Maori Queen.

Dame Te Ata was the seventh Maori sovereign, a direct descendant of a royal line that began in 1858 when the Maori responded to Britain's colonization of New Zealand by choosing a monarch of their own. The role carries only ceremonial powers but is hugely respected by most Maori. Dame Te Ata raised the profile of Maori overseas, acting as cultural ambassador for Maori and indigenous people and hostess to most royal and diplomatic visitors to New Zealand, including including Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, South African President Nelson Mandela and U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Funeral plans were not immediately announced, but in Maori tradition Maori sovereigns are buried on Taupiri Mountain, near Ngaruawahia. In line with Maori tradition, a successor normally is named before the death of a monarch, but apart from indicating she would prefer a male to succeed her, Dame Te Ata had not named her successor when she died. Her successor will be chosen with the help of a 'kingmaker', after seeking the consent of the chiefs of all the leading tribes. If tradition is followed, one of her children will follow her as monarch. The post does not automatically fall to the first-born (Te Atairangikaahu's own ascension is an example of this tradition as she herself was second-born), so any one of her children may be named the next King or Queen before her burial. Alternatively, a leading figure from another Iwi may be appointed to the position.

Rest in Peace Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu.