The number of people arriving at Tuurangawaewae Marae this morning to pay respects to Kiingi Tuheitia for this morning’s pōwhiri has doubled, according to sources on the ground.
Reporter Riria Dalton-Reedy, after reporting in a live special this morning, said those who were there yesterday saw “around 3000 people” and believed the crowd size had shot up to around 6000 today.
“The crowd size has doubled today.”
Riria is one of a number of reporters on the ground, joining a collaborative effort by multiple Māori news media teams and organisations to bring live coverage of the tangihanga from Tuurangawaewae.
Ngāpuhi Nui Tonu, Ngāti Kahungunu, and Mataatua whānui are all among the iwi who have arrived at Tuurangawaewae this morning.
Speaking on the phone once the pōwhiri began, Dalton-Reedy said “at least a kilometre” of the main road through Ngāruawāhia was filled with people.
She said despite the crowd sizes, Māori wardens were doing exemplary mahi “directing the crowds to where they need to go”.
She also reiterated that Tuurangawaewae Marae was equipped to handle such vast sizes.
“Te Marae o te Motu, they call it.”