Hundreds celebrate king's anniversary

PETER DRURY/Waikato Times

KING HIT: Maori King Tuheitia, his wife, Atawhai Paki and kuia Mere Kingi at the Coronation anniversary celebrations.

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Parliamentarians were to join iwi leaders and hundreds of others at Turangawaewae in Ngaruawahia today to celebrate the coronation anniversary of Maori King Tuheitia.

Included among the distinguished guests was Prime Minister John Key, who was also the key speaker at the Iwi Leaders Forum last night.

Waikato Times reporters were not invited to attend the coronation celebrations. However it is understood that there was to be some discussion around Tainui's plan to set up two whanau ora centres.

Chairman Tukoroirangi Morgan announced last week that the tribe planned to build a whanau ora centre at The Base and one in South Auckland, to bring health and social services together under a single roof.

The announcement has been seen as Tainui's big play for a whanau ora contract.

While the tribe is yet to hear if it has gained one of the contracts, Mr Key was pragmatic about Tainui's role when asked about it earlier this week.

"There are lots of areas where we can work together which will benefit Maori and the Crown and if you are looking at somewhere like The Base, where you have a huge number of people coming . . . at any given time, it could very easily be a place where you have that kind of organisation."

Turangawaewae Marae spokesperson Moko Templeton said the week was an exciting time. "It's a chance for all in the Tainui waka and others to get together for something positive," she said.

"With the recession and everything we don't get together as often as we like so this week is going to be great, we are all together to celebrate the king."

- © Fairfax NZ News