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 WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the queen of New Zealand's indigenous Maori population, died Tuesday, her family announced. She was 75.
Te Ata was the sixth Maori sovereign, a direct descendant of a royal line that began in 1858 when the Maori responded to Britain's colonization of New Zealand by choosing a monarch of their own. The role carries only ceremonial powers but is hugely respected by most Maori.
She died at her home on central North Island surrounded by children and grandchildren, the family said.
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