A Māori king who urged racial unity in New Zealand is laid to rest and a new queen rises

NGĀRUAWĀHIA, New Zealand (AP) — They came in their thousands in the freezing dawn, parking cars far away and winding down rural roads on foot, children riding on their shoulders. They arrived in mourning black with crowns of ferns and kawakawa leaves, bone carvings or wedges of deep green pounamu -– New Zealand jade -– resting on their chests.

The mourners came to the North Island town of Ngāruawāhia on Thursday to pay final respects to New Zealand’s Māori king, Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII, who died six days earlier, and witness the ascension to the throne of his daughter, Ngā wai hono i te po. The new queen, 27, is the second woman to become Māori monarch in a tradition dating back to 1858.

As she was escorted onto Tūrangawaewae marae -– an ancestral meeting place — where her father’s casket lay draped in feathered cloaks, cheers rang out among thousands crowded around TV screens outside and waiting along the wide, flat banks of the Waikato River to glimpse Kīngi Tūheitia’s funeral procession. After her ascension, Ngā wai hono i te po accompanied the late king in a flotilla of traditional canoes along the river as he was guided by Māori warriors to his final resting place.

The events marked the end of a weeklong tangihanga -- funeral rite -– for Kīngi Tūheitia, 69, a leader who had in recent months rallied New Zealand’s Indigenous people to unity in the face of a more racially divisive political culture than before. His daughter’s ascension represents the rise of a new generation of Māori leaders in New Zealand -– one which grew up steeped in a resurging language that had once almost died out.

Kīngi Tūheitia died last Friday after undergoing heart surgery, just days after celebrations marking his 18th anniversary on the throne. He became king after his mother’s death in 2006 and on Thursday was buried alongside her in an unmarked grave on Taupiri Maunga, a mountain of spiritual significance to his iwi, or tribe.

The Kīngitanga, or Māori royalty movement, is not a constitutional monarchy and King Charles III of Britain is New Zealand’s head of state. It has a ceremonial mandate rather than a legal one and was formed in the years after British colonization of New Zealand to unite Māori tribes in resistance to forced sales of Indigenous land and the loss of the Māori language and culture.

Monarchs have traditionally wielded politics lightly and Tūheitia was remembered this week as a quiet and humble man. But in recent months, his voice had become louder.

After a center-right government took power in New Zealand last November and began to enact policies reversing recognition of Māori language, people and customs, Tūheitia took the unusual step in January of calling a national meeting of tribes which was attended by 10,000 people.

“The best protest we can make right now is being Māori. Be who we are. Live our values. Speak our reo,” he told them, using the Māori word for language. “Just be Māori. Be Māori all day, every day. We are here. We are strong.”

Tūheitia urged New Zealanders to embrace the concept of kotahitanga -– unity of purpose -– in a cause that he said had “room for everyone.”

His words were echoed throughout the days of his funeral, including by political leaders whose plans he had rallied to oppose. In a reflection of the place that Māori language and customs have grown to hold in New Zealand's public life in recent decades, his funeral was attended not only by Māori tribes but by leaders of all political parties, past prime ministers, leaders of Pacific Island nations, diplomats and representatives of the British crown.

Tens of thousands of ordinary people also flocked there. Many spoke to each other in Māori, a language which had steadily waned after colonization until activists in the 1970s provoked its renaissance. Among their initiatives was the establishment of Māori language pre-schools, the first graduates of which are now young adults.

Tūheitia’s daughter was among them; while her father hailed from a generation in which many were discouraged from speaking Māori, she was steeped in it, attending Māori immersion schools. Ngā wai hono i te po holds a degree in Māori customs and is an accomplished performer of kapa haka, an Indigenous performance art.

The late king, a truck driver before he took the throne, was a surprise appointment to the monarchy, which is chosen by a council and is not required to be hereditary. But the new queen was groomed for the role and had accompanied her father in his work during recent years.

Her ascension comes at a fraught political moment. Since 1858, the Kīngitanga has championed Māori sovereignty and the other promises of modern New Zealand’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 between the Crown and Māori tribes. In the years since, translation issues and attempts to reinterpret the treaty have at times provoked conflict, which has in recent months flared again.

“The treaty provides a foundation for us all to work together. Let’s not change it, that would harm us,” Tūheitia said at the event marking his coronation days before his death. While New Zealand was facing a storm as Māori rights were rolled back, “there's no need to worry. In this storm, we are stronger together,” he said.

After the new queen was anointed with oils and a service for her father held, mourners flocked behind the hearse as it drove to the banks of the river sacred to his tribe. There, Tūheitia's casket was accompanied by traditional carved canoes on his journey to the mountain, with mourners, in some places 10 people deep, falling silent and bowing as he passed.

As he was carried to the foot of the mountain under a clear afternoon sky, a roaring haka, or ceremonial chant, rang out from mourners waiting among gravestones dotted up the steep hillside and dozens helped to carry the late king to his burial place at the top.

Many had waited for hours to see the procession pass, including a large number of young families. Commentators said the queen's ascension represented the culture's renewal, with the majority of Māori — who account for almost 20% of New Zealand's population — aged under 40.

Among them on Thursday was Awa Tukiri, 9, whose family had driven nearly two hours from Auckland to watch the canoe carrying the late king pass by.

“It was pretty amazing because all they do on the boat is do haka and waiata on it,” he said, using the words for Māori chants and songs. Tukiri, who attends a kura kaupapa — the immersion schools that are growing in popularity — said the best part of being Māori was “just hanging out and speaking Māori to each other.”

Graham-McLay reported from Wellington, New Zealand.

A warriors wait to receive the body of the Māori king, Kingi Tuheitia, next to the Waikato River where he will be carried up Taupiri Mountain for burial at Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

Warriors wait to receive the body of the Māori king, Kingi Tuheitia, next to the Waikato River where he will be carried up Taupiri Mountain for burial at Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

A waka, a traditional canoe, is paddled by warriors on the Waikato River as part of the funeral of New Zealand's Maori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

Mourners crowd the roads as the body of Maori king, Kingi Tuheitia, is carried up Taupiri Mountain for burial at Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

Mourners react outside Turangawaewae marae for the funeral of New Zealand's Māori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

A mourner reacts outside Turangawaewae Marae for the funeral of New Zealand's Māori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

Mourners gather outside Turangawaewae Marae for the funeral of New Zealand's Māori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

Wakas, a traditional canoe, are paddled by warriors as part of the funeral of New Zealand's Maori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

A waka, a traditional canoe, is paddled by warriors as part of the funeral of New Zealand's Maori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

The coffin with the body of New Zealand's Maori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, is carried up Taupiri Mountain for burial in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

A warrior waits for the arrival of the coffin of New Zealand's Maori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, before the burial in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

A waka, a traditional canoe, is paddled by warriors on the Waikato River as part of the funeral of New Zealand's Maori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

The coffin with the body of New Zealand's Maori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, is carried after being transported on a waka (a traditional canoe) for burial in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

A warrior waits for the arrival of the coffin of New Zealand's Maori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, before the burial in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

The coffin with the body of New Zealand's Maori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, is carried up Taupiri Mountain for burial in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

The coffin with the body of New Zealand's Maori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, is carried up Taupiri Mountain for burial in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

A waka, a traditional canoe, is paddled by warriors as part of the funeral of New Zealand's Maori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

The coffin with the body of New Zealand's Maori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, is carried up Taupiri Mountain for burial in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Gibson)

Gunshots were reported in Donald Trump's vicinity Sunday afternoon. The former president is safe.

U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire after seeing a person with a firearm near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club in Florida while the Republican presidential candidate was golfing. No injuries were reported. Officials say the person fled in an SUV and was later apprehended by local law enforcement.

It was not immediately clear whether the reported shots were targeted at Trump. The U.S. Secret Service said it was investigating and that the incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. “The former president is safe,” according to the Secret Service.

Roughly two months ago, Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.

Here is the Latest:

Trump campaign leaders are crediting the Secret Service with keeping the former president safe following an apparent assassination attempt in Florida.

In an email sent to staff Sunday evening, senior campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles wrote, “Today, for the second time in two months, an evil monster attempted to take the life of President Trump.”

“Thankfully, no one was injured at the Golf Course. President Trump and everyone accompanying him are safe thanks to the great work of the United States Secret Service,” they wrote.

They added that campaign staffers’ safety is “always our top priority” and asked those receiving the email to “remain vigilant” and “observant and maintain a constant level of situational awareness."

The leaders of a bipartisan task force in Congress that has been investigating the assassination attempt on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally in July said it is monitoring the Florida situation and has requested a briefing by the Secret Service.

“We are thankful that the former President was not harmed, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms,” said Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa. and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. “The Task Force will share updates as we learn more.”

Fox News host Sean Hannity, a close Trump friend, said on air that he spoke with both Trump and the former president’s golf partner, Steve Witkoff, after the incident.

They told Hannity that they had been on the fifth hole and were about to go to up to putt when they heard a “pop pop, pop pop.” Within seconds, he said Witkoff recounted, Secret Service agents “pounced on” Trump and “covered him” to protect him.

In the aftermath, Trump checked in with allies, including his vice presidential nominee, JD Vance, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and several Fox News hosts.

It was not immediately clear whether the incident would affect Trump's campaign schedule.

On Monday night, he was set to speak from Florida about cryptocurrency live on the social media site X for the launch of his sons’ crypto platform. Trump planned a town hall Tuesday in Flint, Michigan, with his former press secretary, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, followed by a rally Wednesday on New York’s Long Island.

Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser. His campaign had not advised about any public plans for Trump on Sunday. He often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at the club, one of three he owns in the state.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, said he and his wife, Gwen, are “glad” to hear Trump is safe. “Violence has no place in our country,” he said in a post on X. “It’s not who we are as a nation.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he has been briefed by the acting director of the Secret Service and applauded the agency “for their quick response to ensure former President Trump’s safety.” Schumer went on to condemn “political violence of any kind” and said the “perpetrator must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“It’s abundantly clear there are violent people who are willing to do anything to keep President Trump from the White House,” Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said in a statement posted to X.

Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, chair of the House Republican Conference, questioned “how an assassin was allowed to get this close to President Trump again” in light of the attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania rally in July.

“There continues to be a lack of answers for the horrific assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and we expect there to be a clear explanation of what happened today in Florida,” Stefanik added.

The man who authorities say pointed a rifle with a scope into former President Donald Trump’s golf club and was arrested is Ryan Wesley Routh, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

The officials identified the suspect to the AP but spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Secret Service agents shot at the suspect, who was taken into custody after fleeing the scene of what the FBI is calling an apparent attempted assassination of the Republican presidential nominee. Authorities are working to determine a motive.

—-By Associated Press reporters Colleen Long, Eric Tucker, Alanna Durkin Richer, Mike Balsamo and Michael R. Sisak

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the entire golf course would have been lined with law enforcement if Trump was the sitting president. But because he’s not, “security is limited to the areas that the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”

“But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done, they provided exactly what the protection should have been and their agent did a fantastic job," Bradshaw said.

Former presidents and their spouses have Secret Service protection for life, but the security posture around former presidents varies depending on threat levels and exposure, with the toughest typically being in the immediate aftermath of their leaving office.

Trump’s protective detail has been higher than some of his peers because of his high visibility and his campaign to seek the White House again.

Trump’s running mate, Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance, posted on X that he spoke to the former president before the news became public and said “he was, amazingly, in good spirits.”

Vance said there was still a lot “we don’t know” about the incident.

Dave Aronberg, state attorney for Palm Beach County, indicated the suspect will initially be charged at the state level but could also be charged with federal crimes.

Aronberg said his prosecutors are working up warrant and pretrial detention applications.

“Our filing of the warrant and charges at the state level does not preclude the federal charges that could be coming,” Aronberg said. “But in the meantime, it looks like the warrants and a pretrial detention motion will happen first.”

A Secret Service agent walking on the golf course a hole ahead of where Trump was playing spotted the rifle sticking out of the fence and immediately opened fire, Palm Beach County Bradshaw said.

The agent fired four to six rounds, a Secret Service official said. The suspect then fled.

A witness who took a picture of the suspect’s vehicle and license plate number provided it to law enforcement officers.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the gunman was about 400 to 500 yards away from Trump and hidden in shrubbery while the former president played golf on a nearby hole.

The man had an AK-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks hanging on a fence and a GoPro camera, the sheriff said. Bradshaw said the backpacks had ceramic tile in them and that the suspect’s belongings are being processed.

The FBI says it is investigating “what appears to be an attempted assassination” of Donald Trump.

Trump was returned safely after the incident to his private Mar-a-Lago club, where he resides in neighboring Palm Beach, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser. His campaign had not advised Trump’s plans for Sunday. He often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at the club.

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told WPTV that the suspect believed connected to the incident “was not armed when we took him out of the car.”

The man had a calm, flat demeanor and showed little emotion when he was stopped by police, Snyder said, saying the suspect did not question why he was being pulled over.

“He never asked, ‘what is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Snyder said.

A man with an AK-style rifle pushed the firearm’s muzzle through the perimeter of Donald Trump’s West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course as the Republican presidential candidate was playing a round, prompting U.S. Secret Service to open fire, according to three law enforcement officials.

The person dropped the weapon and fled in an SUV, and was later apprehended in a neighboring county, the officials said. The officials were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The golf course was partially shut down for Trump as he played, and agents were a few holes ahead of him when they noticed the person with the firearm, the officials said.

An AK-style firearm was recovered at the scene near Trump’s golf course, two law enforcement officials said. The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity about an ongoing investigation.

The golf course was partially shut down for Trump as he played, and agents were a few holes ahead of him when they noticed a person with the firearm, the officials said. The person appeared to push the muzzle of the rifle through a fence line and that’s when agents fired, the officials said.

Law enforcement officials were expected to speak to reporters Sunday afternoon about the incident and the apprehension of the suspect.

In an email to supporters, Trump said: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!”

“Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!” the former president said.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post on Sunday that it has stopped a vehicle on northbound Interstate 95 and taken a suspect into custody who is believed to be connected to the shooting.

The sheriff’s office said it made the stop after authorities in neighboring Palm Beach County put out a “be on the lookout” alert. Photos included in the post showed an SUV stopped behind multiple law enforcement vehicles.

The post by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office indicated the suspect was apprehended near Palm City, Florida, about a 45-mile drive north of Trump’s golf course. Northbound lanes of I-95 were shut down, the sheriff’s office said.

U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire after seeing a person with a firearm near Donald Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while the Republican presidential candidate was golfing Sunday, according to two law enforcement officials. No injuries were reported.

The person fled in an SUV and was later apprehended in a nearby county by local law enforcement, the officials said. The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity about an ongoing investigation.

The incident comes roughly two months after an assassination attempt on Trump’s life at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

—By

In an X post, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s top congressional allies, said he had spoken with Trump after the incident and that Trump was in “good spirits” and was “one of the strongest people I’ve ever known."

Trump often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, one of three he owns in the state.

Donald Trump was safe after gunshots were reported in his vicinity Sunday afternoon in Florida, his campaign and the Secret Service said.

The U.S. Secret Service said it was investigating and that the incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. “The former president is safe,” according to the Secret Service.

Roughly two months ago, Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.

Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser.

The campaign did not immediately provide any additional details.

No injuries were reported in the shooting incident, a spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida says.

The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, had both been briefed and would be kept updated on the investigation. The White House added they are “relieved” to know Trump is safe.

A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation said officials were trying to determine whether the shots were fired near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course or on the grounds. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Police officers direct traffic near Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Photos that show an AK-47 rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera on a fence outside Trump International Golf Club taken after an apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, are displayed during a news conference at the Palm Beach County Main Library, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephany Matat)

A police officer directs traffic near Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

This photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Sheriff's vehicles surrounding an SUV on the northbound I-95 in Martin County on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

This photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Sheriff's vehicles surrounding an SUV on the northbound I-95 in Martin County on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

FILE - Security agents talk at the entrance to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, March 31, 2023, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump waves as he boards a plane at Harry Reid International Airport after a campaign trip, Saturday, Sept.14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Sheriff vehicles are pictured near Trump International Golf Club, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla., after gunshots were reported in the vicinity of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Stephanie Matat)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at Harry Reid International Airport to board a plane after a campaign trip, Saturday, Sept.14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FILE - The motorcade for President Donald Trump arrives at Trump International Golf Club, Feb. 15, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)