New Zealand’s Maori chiefs have anointed a 27-year-old queen as their new monarch.

The choice of Nga Wai hono i te po Paki was welcomed as a symbol of change for the Indigenous community.

She is the youngest child and only daughter of King Tuheitia, who died last week.

After being selected by a council of chiefs, Nga Wai was ushered to the throne by a group of men bearing ceremonial weapons who chanted, screamed and shouted in acclamation.

“The new monarch was raised up in a ceremony known as Te Whakawahinga, in front of thousands of people gathered for the tangihanga [funeral and burial] of Kiingi Tuheitia,” a spokesperson for the Kiingitanga, or royal family, said.

Maori cultural adviser Karaitiana Taiuru told the AFP news agency that it was a “privilege” to witness a young Maori woman become queen.