Maori warriors paddle waka canoes down towards Taupiri Maunga during the funeral ceremony of New Zealand's Maori King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII in Ngaruawahia on September 5, 2024. A council of New Zealand's indigenous Maori chiefs anointed a new queen on September 5, as a flotilla of war canoes readied to transport her father, the late monarch, for burial on a sacred mountain. Nga Wai hono i te po Paki -- a surprise choice to be the next Maori leader -- was cheered as she sat atop a high-backed wooden throne. (Photo by DJ MILLS / AFP)