Story: Kīngitanga – the Māori King movement

Te Kirihaehae Te Puea Hērangi, shown here aged about 15, became the Kīngitanga's most revered and effective leader, although she was not the sovereign. A cousin of King Te Rata, she headed her people's opposition to conscription during the First World War, in protest at the injustices of the New Zealand wars. She then led the rebuilding of a central Kīngitanga marae at Ngāruawāhia. Her personal example inspired her previously demoralised people.