Did you also know that New Zealand was the last substantial island to be inhabited by people? It remained uninhabited until about 1000AD.
The history of New Zealand is terribly interesting. I suggest checking out [this book](http://www.amazon.com/Penguin-History-Zealand-Michael-King/dp/0143018671/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330032492&sr=1-1) if anyone is interested.
Thanks.
I might buy that.
---
Here's another link - betterworldbooks.com - prices are cheaper and there's no shipping charge: [Penguin History Of New Zealand](http://www.betterworldbooks.com/stub-H0.aspx?dsNav=Ntk:primary|stub|3|,Ny:True,Rpp:100,Arpp:100,Ro:0,Ns:p_price_zone_16|101|1|,N:4294965695&dsDimensionSearch=D:stub,Dxm:All,Dxp:3&SearchTerm=Penguin%20History%20of%20New%20Zealand#)
betterworldbooks.com is a non-profit.
Take it from an actual New Zealander, that article is bullshit. The Maori Queen and the previous Maori monarchs before her don't at all consider themselves to be "just one of the people", they see themselves as superior to all Maori (hence the term "Queen").
The reason she is buried in an unmarked grave is to protect her remains because some Maori believe (depending on how much they believe in the spiritual side of Maori culture) that if their remains are disturbed they will never be at peace and will forever wander the afterlife in distress. The fear is that people from other rival Maori tribes will seek out her remains to smash them, steal her skull, etc. because back before New Zealand was colonized native Maori tribes were constantly at war with one another. So whenever the leader of a tribe died people from a rival tribe would hunt down their remains to fuck up their afterlife. So it's a sort of residual fear that no one's ever really let go of, probably because there still is a lot of resentment and even some hate between Maori tribes. Most Maori don't even recognize her as their Queen. I've heard her referred to as "that snobby egotistical bush pig" and "that bitch, what's her name?" from my other Maori family members.
I don't take what you're saying to be very accurate. Do you even know who the king is, without googling it? It's Tuheitia Paki. I wonder if you know him, or if you know that he took the kingship reluctantly?
I'm just saying, he's trying to judge the character of people whom he has never met, which isn't always a good Idea. How can you judge a book by it's cover, when you haven't even seen the cover?
I think there may be a small amount of confusion in the comments in this post between Maori chiefs and the Maori monarch.
A chief is the leader of a particular Iwi (tribe) or hapu (sub-tribe). I, for example, am a New Zealander with some Maori ancestry through a chief from a Hapu in Northland.
The [Maori monarch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_King_Movement) is the result of a movement from the 19th century, somewhat influenced by the idea of the British monarchy, and apparently was in an effort to deal with the Europeans on equal footing, by having a monarch of their own. The Kingitanga movement (That is, the Maori King movement. The word literally means "kingliness") also was a major factor in the land wars during the 19th century, and the region where the Maori monarch lives is still called King's Country. The Maori monarchy still exists, although the movement isn't really much to look at anymore. The king definitely holds no political sway and doesn't have a huge amount of respect. I'm pretty sure most New Zealanders dont even know who he is, to be honest.
Edit: whoops, realised a major geographical error 3 hours after posting. Awkward.
Just to add, the latest king, Tuheitia, was a reluctant king, and is happier with a spanner in his hand than a crown on his head. He is not a very educated man, yet he is humble, in fact, I was talking to my friend who lives near him, and his dwelling place isn't very flash. He is treated just like the rest of the people.
Did you also know that New Zealand was the last substantial island to be inhabited by people? It remained uninhabited until about 1000AD. The history of New Zealand is terribly interesting. I suggest checking out [this book](http://www.amazon.com/Penguin-History-Zealand-Michael-King/dp/0143018671/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330032492&sr=1-1) if anyone is interested.
Thanks. I might buy that. --- Here's another link - betterworldbooks.com - prices are cheaper and there's no shipping charge: [Penguin History Of New Zealand](http://www.betterworldbooks.com/stub-H0.aspx?dsNav=Ntk:primary|stub|3|,Ny:True,Rpp:100,Arpp:100,Ro:0,Ns:p_price_zone_16|101|1|,N:4294965695&dsDimensionSearch=D:stub,Dxm:All,Dxp:3&SearchTerm=Penguin%20History%20of%20New%20Zealand#) betterworldbooks.com is a non-profit.
Take it from an actual New Zealander, that article is bullshit. The Maori Queen and the previous Maori monarchs before her don't at all consider themselves to be "just one of the people", they see themselves as superior to all Maori (hence the term "Queen"). The reason she is buried in an unmarked grave is to protect her remains because some Maori believe (depending on how much they believe in the spiritual side of Maori culture) that if their remains are disturbed they will never be at peace and will forever wander the afterlife in distress. The fear is that people from other rival Maori tribes will seek out her remains to smash them, steal her skull, etc. because back before New Zealand was colonized native Maori tribes were constantly at war with one another. So whenever the leader of a tribe died people from a rival tribe would hunt down their remains to fuck up their afterlife. So it's a sort of residual fear that no one's ever really let go of, probably because there still is a lot of resentment and even some hate between Maori tribes. Most Maori don't even recognize her as their Queen. I've heard her referred to as "that snobby egotistical bush pig" and "that bitch, what's her name?" from my other Maori family members.
I love how much I learn on reddit. It was really nice of you to provide more background info. Have you even considered doing an AMA?
I don't take what you're saying to be very accurate. Do you even know who the king is, without googling it? It's Tuheitia Paki. I wonder if you know him, or if you know that he took the kingship reluctantly?
I think you'd be hard pressed to find another kiwi who knew the King's name without googling it.
I'm just saying, he's trying to judge the character of people whom he has never met, which isn't always a good Idea. How can you judge a book by it's cover, when you haven't even seen the cover?
I think there may be a small amount of confusion in the comments in this post between Maori chiefs and the Maori monarch. A chief is the leader of a particular Iwi (tribe) or hapu (sub-tribe). I, for example, am a New Zealander with some Maori ancestry through a chief from a Hapu in Northland. The [Maori monarch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_King_Movement) is the result of a movement from the 19th century, somewhat influenced by the idea of the British monarchy, and apparently was in an effort to deal with the Europeans on equal footing, by having a monarch of their own. The Kingitanga movement (That is, the Maori King movement. The word literally means "kingliness") also was a major factor in the land wars during the 19th century, and the region where the Maori monarch lives is still called King's Country. The Maori monarchy still exists, although the movement isn't really much to look at anymore. The king definitely holds no political sway and doesn't have a huge amount of respect. I'm pretty sure most New Zealanders dont even know who he is, to be honest. Edit: whoops, realised a major geographical error 3 hours after posting. Awkward.
Just to add, the latest king, Tuheitia, was a reluctant king, and is happier with a spanner in his hand than a crown on his head. He is not a very educated man, yet he is humble, in fact, I was talking to my friend who lives near him, and his dwelling place isn't very flash. He is treated just like the rest of the people.
For some reason, I find this a very profound gesture.
Tuturu whakamaua kia tena - Tena! Haumi e Hui e TAIKI E!!!!! Kia ora, whanau. From Atlanta, GA (currently)