Ko Aoraki te Tohu o te Ao Hou

For several years, Aoraki, leader of the Whenua-Mārama hapū, has advocated for the creation of a king over all the Tāngata - the so-called Kīngitanga movement. This proposal has its supporters and its opponents, and the debate has raged across the hapū of Atu Motu, even giving rise to the Te Ao Ngākau hapū, which exists solely to oppose the idea.

Around the same time that Aoraki began promoting the Kīngitanga movement, tales began to circulate about the circumstances of his birth. The best known are told by the legendary storyteller Rangatira Pūrākau, a member of the Whenua-Mārama hapū and a staunch supporter of Kīngitanga. She claims to have gathered the stories from the midwives who attended Aoraki's birth, and says she merely collected and preserved them in a waiata mōteatea titled Ko Aoraki te Tohu o te Ao Hou - Aoraki is the Sign of the New World.

Ko Aoraki te Tohu

The tales portray the birth of Aoraki as a tohu—an omen. On the day he was born, the stars over Atu Motu burned red as embers, and the island shook underfoot. He was born with hair and teeth, and did not cry out; he simply gazed calmly at the women who delivered him, with his chin raised like a rārantira.

They then felt the presence of one of the Atua (the tales vary as to which), who laid claim to the infant as their descendant - one of the atua-kura - and gave him the name Aoraki, meaning Cloud-piercer or the Highest. Awed by the child's still and watchful demeanor, one of the midwives carried his placenta to a sacred place, a marae, and buried it there.

From that spot grew a tree that bore the fruit of the Atua, and the birds who nested in it spoke like men, calling for the Highest of the Tāngata to take his place - for he was needed.

Te Ao Ngākau

In response to the Kīngitanga movement, the Te Ao Ngākau hapū was formed. The name of this hapū translates as “The World of the Heart”, although the word ngākau can also denote tradition, truth, or beauty, depending on context. The hapū has taken a position directly opposed to Aoraki and the supporters of Kīngitanga, claiming that the creation of a king for the Tāngata would be tantamount to abandoning all tradition and honor. They have vowed never to follow or acknowledge any such king.

They have also declared that Ko Aoraki te Tohu o te Ao Hou is a fabrication - an invention of Aoraki's supporters intended to elevate him to the status of an atua-kura and build support for his claim to kingship over the Tāngata. The debate over the truth of the myths surrounding Aoraki's birth has become central to the broader conversation about Kīngitanga. Many Tāngata are waiting for the tales to be definitively proven true or false before committing themselves.

Should Aoraki succeed in convincing them of his divine heritage, it is likely that many currently undecided Tāngata will declare for Kīngitanga. But if the legend is proven false, they will likely turn against both him and the movement.