October 21, 2021
No pomp as Dame Cindy starts mahi
New Zealand has its first wahine Māori Governor General.
Dame Alcyion Cynthia (Cindy) Kiro from Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, and Ngāti Kahu was sworn in this morning at Parliament in a ceremony shorn of some of its traditional pomp because of Covid 19 restrictions.
As well as not having a pōwhiri, military honours, and a formal reception, Dame Cindy’s whānau living in Auckland were unable to attend.
Former Māori Party co-leader Dame Tariana Turia encountered the future governor general during her term as Children’s Commissioner, and served alongside her on the board of the National Hauora Coalition.
She says she’s following on from another fine wahine in the role, Dame Patsy Reddy, and she has the additional advantage of speaking Māori and knowing things that other governors general have to learn on the job.