Aoraki

Aoraki is the leader of the Whenua-Mārama hapū of Tauranga. For the last several years, he has been the chief advocate of the Kīngitanga movement, which holds that the Tāngata should unite under a single autocratic leader to maximize their power on the world stage. His supporters already treat him as a king in Tauranga, and if he can garner enough support, it seems likely that he will declare himself King of all the Tāngata. At present, he is still relying on persuasion and diplomacy, but many believe he will turn to violence if he cannot achieve his goals by other means.

Early Life

Aoraki was born in Tauranga to parents already influential among the hapū of northern Atu Motu, especially the Whenua-Mārama hapū. He grew up in the port city, among Tāngata who no longer practiced Tulafafo, and regularly interacted with sailors and merchants without the intercession of a Failauga. To many more traditional Tāngata, this has tainted his mind, and they blame his focus on rulership and nationhood on these outside influences. Aoraki counters that this was an education, not a corruption - his exposure to the outside world has made him aware of the threats beyond Atu Motu's shores, and how likely it is that the Tāngata will be conquered if they cannot present a united front.

North and South

Aoraki's Kīngitanga movement has brought the cultural divide between northern and southern Atu Motu into sharp focus. The northern third of the island is regularly visited by traders passing through the Southern Region, and the Tāngata who live there have adapted to frequent contact with outsiders. The southern regions of the island are more isolated, and most villages there still practice Tulafafo - the body of traditions translated as "Outsider Law," which strictly regulates contact with anyone not bound to the village through one of their hapū. Tāngata society has long been knit together by a network of interlocking hapū, with every adult usually belonging to several, binding communities together and preventing outright conflict. But as the northern communities have become more worldly, they now share fewer and fewer hapū with their southern neighbors, deepening the division that threatens the island's peace.

Legends and Threats

In the last five years, Aoraki and his supporters have begun actively campaigning for the establishment of a King of the Tāngata. One of his most effective tools in this effort has been the raids carried out by the Kaikai. Once slaves of certain eastern hapū, the Kaikai fled to the island of Koa'ki and established the City-State of Kikai among the strange ruins there. Now strong and wealthy, the young warriors of the Kaikai have taken to raiding the people who once oppressed their grandparents. Their attacks have grown bolder over time, and Aoraki has used fear of the raiders as an argument for uniting under the protection of a strong leader.

Meanwhile, Aoraki's strongest ally, the storyteller Rangatira Pūrākau, has been spreading the miraculous tale of his birth. The story - dubbed Ko Aoraki te Tohu o te Ao Hou, or "Aoraki is the Sign of the New World" - portrays him as an atua-kura and an omen of a new order. Some of his opponents have questioned the veracity of the tale, but many others find it compelling, and it has won Aoraki new believers in his cause.