Rare Flag Given Back To Kingitanga.

A rare 160 year old flag has been returned to the Kingitanga by the Anglican Church. The flag dates back to the time of the first Maori King Potatau Te Wherowhero. The Anglican Church officially signed over ownership to the Kingitanga after forgetting they had it for almost 100 years. The current King Kingi Tuheitia's son Te Ariki Tamaroa Whatumoana, received the Taonga on behalf of Kingitanga at a ceremony at Auckland Cathedral. The origin of the flag is unclear, it may have been made as a kind of funeral pall at the time of Potatau's death. In 1929, it surfaced in England. It appears to have been taken there in 1865 by a member of the clergy who had served in Aotearoa. It was then returned to Aotearoa. Ross Bay the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, it is time for the Taonga to finally return home. The flay will be welcomed back to Turangawaewae Marae formally next week with Waikato Tainui now resuming their role as Kaitiaki of the Taonga.