The Māori king has unveiled a special hand-woven cloak to be worn by New Zealand’s future Olympic flag bearers.
The new kākahu (feathered cloak) was blessed by Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII at Turangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia today – 101 days out from the Paris Olympics.
New Zealand Olympic Committee board members and staff, and several athletes – including Athens 2004 flag bearer Beatrice Faumuina – attended the unveiling.
“It’s about providing something that inspires our athletes to go out there on the world stage and represent us,” master weaver Rānui Ngārimu (Ngāi Tahu/Ngāti Mutungā) told 1News.
It’s the second cloak to be made for the Olympic team following the decision to have two flag bearers.
Ngārimu’s first Olympic cloak was blessed by the late Māori queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu 20 years ago and was worn by Faumuina in Athens.
“It was a first and all I could do was cry,” she said, “but it was also about our identity as Kiwis, as New Zealanders, as people of this land – what is it that we want to be able to leave behind?”
The new cloak, Te Hono ki Matariki, was woven by a team of four using more than 11,000 feathers and took 16 months to complete.
NZ Olympic Committee chairwoman Diana Puketapu-Lyndon said the kākahu represented not only New Zealand as a nation, but also “te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā coming together as a nation on the worldwide stage”.
Faumuina gave some words of advice for New Zealand’s future Olympic flag bearers.
“You may be overwhelmed by the moment but embrace every single thing, from the moment you’re gifted your uniform to being with your team,” she said.
“Remember it all, write it down, and live it.”