A MAORI tribe paid homage to an influential princess buried in the grounds of an Oxfordshire church.

Members of the Ngati Hinemihi tribe, from New Zealand, visited the grave of Makereti 'Maggie' Papakura at St Andrew's Church in Oddington, near Bicester.

The princess, also known as Margaret Pattison Staples-Browne, came to the village in the early 20th century and commissioned what is thought to be the only memorial to Maoris killed in the First World War, which sits inside the church.

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Since then, Maoris have regularly visited Oddington to leave their tributes to Ms Papakura, but St Andrew's churchwarden, Nigel Lambert, explained the service, on Sunday, was extra-special.

The 76-year-old said: "They've come over in large groups over the years. A lot are normally London-based, but these came all the way from New Zealand.

"The occasion was beautiful and the singing was amazing.

"We try to maintain the bond and take great pride in her being here. Visitors always give us tremendous thanks for looking after her."

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Mr Lambert, who has lived in the village throughout his life, explained that the Princess's grave is one of many landmarks for Maoris visiting the UK, with about 30 people gathering at the church last weekend.

Following the service, the tribe sang in their native language and performed a traditional ceremony, with residents dancing alongside their guests, before they were treated to afternoon tea.

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Ms Papakura was born in 1873 and achieved international recognition in 1901, when she was chosen to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York to the city of Rotorua.

The princess was a skilled entertainer and established the Rotorua Maori Choir, which performed in Sydney and London. The group consisted of about 40 members of her extended family.

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They came to this country for the British Empire Exhibition and one of their tasks included launching a 45ft Maori canoe at Henley Royal Regatta.

While in the UK in 1911, she sought out Richard Staples-Browne, a member of an expedition to New Zealand who she met four years earlier.

Mr Staples-Browne was the son of a wealthy landowner from Oddington Grange and they came to live in the village after marrying in 1912, divorcing 12 years later.

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During her time in Oddington, Ms Papakura worshipped at St Andrew's and became fond of the church, choosing it as the location for her Maori war memorial.

In 1926, Ms Papakura enrolled at Oxford University to study for a degree in anthropology, but died suddenly three weeks before she took her thesis examination in April 1930.