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QUEEN'S DIAMOND JUBILEEThe second time Mäori represent New Zealand at a Diamond JubileeThe waka taua Te Hono ki Aotearoa/ The Linkto New Zealand joined 999 other vessels tosail down the River Thames for the Queen’sDiamond Jubilee River Pageant in June. And itwas not the first time Mäori represented NewZealand at a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.One hundred and fifteen years ago on 22July 1897 a Mäori contingent proved verypopular with the estimated crowd of fourmillion, when they took part in a Jubilee DayMilitary Procession through London streetsfor Queen Victoria; great, great grandmotherto Queen Elizabeth II.Then, the 18-man Mäori contingent waspart of 54 New Zealand Mounted Rifles whosailed from Lyttleton on 30 April; arriving inLondon 42 days later.Following in her ancestors’ footsteps,Queen Elizabeth II is only the second BritishRoyal to have reigned for 60 years. HerDiamond Jubilee celebrations included araft of events in England and around theCommonwealth, building up to the centralweekend in early June.New Zealand’s crew of 14 kaihoe wasselected to row the ceremonial waka tauain the River Pageant during the centralweekend. Organised by Toi Mäori Aotearoa,they began their training at the end ofMarch which included three wänanga inHamilton on the mighty Waikato River witha waka taua named Whakängi, carved fromthe same 800 year old tree that Te Hono kiAotearoa was crafted from.Reflecting on the mammoth event,Garry Nicholas Chief Executive Toi MäoriAotearoa said: “This was a once in a lifetimeopportunity to have the waka as the officialrepresentative of Aotearoa. It may neverhappen again in our life time but it willcertainly be woven into the fabric of history”.The Toi Mäori waka taua Te Honoki Aotearoa is on permanent loanto the Volkenkunde Museum inLeiden. It was built as a Wakafor Europe and can be usedas a vehicle to promote Mäoriarts, culture and New Zealandat events throughout Europe.The involvement of the waka inthe Diamond Jubilee pageantwas funded by the New Zealandgovernment. Officials from TePuni Kökiri, Te Manatü Taonga theMinistry for Culture and Heritageand the Department of thePrime Minister and Cabinet haveassisted Toi Mäori Aotearoa witharrangements.TE PUNI KÖKIRI | KÖKIRI | KÖANGA / SPRING 201245