About Te Atairangikaahu
Dame Te Atairangikaahu reigned as Māori Queen from 1966 until her death in 2006. Her reign was the longest of any Māori monarch. Te Atairangikaahu was a descendant of the first Māori king, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero. In the 1970 New Year Honours, Te Atairangikaahu was the first Māori to be appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, "for outstanding services to the Māori people". On 6 February 1987, Te Atairangikaahu was the first appointee to the Order of New Zealand and her badge of the order bears the number 1. Her title Te Arikinui (meaning Paramount Chief) and name Te Atairangikaahu (meaning the hawk of the morning sky) were bestowed when she became monarch.
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