ariki tapairu
1. (noun) paramount chief, high chief, chief of chiefs (including for a woman), first-born in a high ranking family, female sovereign.
He ariki tapairu ki a mātou te wahine, ko te tāne he ariki tauaroa (JPS 1926:43). / To us, a woman is an ariki tapairu, and a man is an ariki tauaroa.
Synonyms: kāhu tātara, toihau, tumu whakarae, ariki, ariki taungaroa, ariki tauaroa
