A special event took place at Waitangi on Friday, Aotearoa's first female Māori Governor-General was welcomed onto the Waitangi marae
Dame Cindy Kiro was also given the recognition and support of King Tūheitia.
The welcome was a homecoming unlike any before, Māori united to welcome one of their own to the nation's marae Te Whare Rūnanga.
Extra special for Ngāpuhi rangatahi who share the same whakapapa as the Governor-General.
"It felt good. I felt a lot of mauri," one attendee told Newshub.
"We felt the mana and the wairua when we did the powhiri today. It felt good. It means from here… to me that we get to have a representative for us Māori and the Queen," said another.
The older women of Tainui also proudly performed the kopikopi dance, Dame Kiro's husband even got in on the celebration.
But being Waitangi there can be no ceremony without a protest, luckily they were quickly dealt with by security.
Leaving Dame Kiro free to talk about her pride in her mixed heritage.
"I also speak to you as a wahine from Te Tai Tokerau. With a dual British and Māori ancestry. As a mother, a grandmother with a welsh husband and Chilean daughter in law,"
"Incredibly humbling. Incredibly moving. Incredibly powerful. And a joy really," she said.
The presence of the Māori King Tūheitia was a display of affirmation of Māoridom’s commitment to the treaty.
"Rangatiratanga and Kawatanga with the Governer-General was the promises and the aspirations of Te Tiriti o Waitangi was absolutely played out well today," Spokesperson for the King Rāhui Papa said.
Although Dame Kiro has only been in the job for 6 months, the sentiment of Māoridom at Waitangi is that they are excited for her and look forward to supporting her in the rest of her tenure.
Dame Kiro finished her visit with an official planting ceremony.
