Mourners arrive at the Turangawaewae Marae in Hamilton, New Zealand. Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VI, aged 69, died on Friday morning (August 30, 2024). The MÄ ori king was in hospital recovering from heart surgery. | Photo credit: Getty Images
New Zealand’s MÄ ori king, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, died on Friday (August 30, 2024) at the age of 69, days after celebrating his 18th year on the throne.
He was the seventh monarch in the Kiingitanga movement, holding a position created in 1858 to unite New Zealand’s indigenous MÄ ori tribes in the face of British colonization.
Tuheitia died in hospital after heart surgery, Rahui Papa, a spokesperson for the Kiingitanga, the MÄ ori King movement, said in a post on Instagram.
The movement’s main objectives were to end the sale of land to non-Indigenous people, stop inter-tribal wars and provide a springboard for the preservation of MÄ ori culture, according to the Waikato-Tainui website -stem. The monarch plays a largely ceremonial but still important role in New Zealand, where MÄ ori make up almost 20% of the population.
“The death of King Tuheitia is a moment of great sadness for the followers of Kiingitanga, Maaoridom and the entire nation,” Dad wrote on social media.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon paid tribute to Tuheitia, saying his “unwavering commitment to his people and his tireless efforts to uphold the values and traditions of the Kiingitanga have left an indelible mark on our nation.”
“I will remember his dedication to Aotearoa New Zealand,” Luxon said, using the country’s MÄ ori and English names, “his dedication to mokopuna (youth), his passion for te ao MÄ ori (the MÄ ori world ), and his vision for a future where all people are treated with dignity and respect.â€
In recent months, Tuheitia has coordinated talks on MÄ ori national unity in response to the policies of Luxon’s centre-right government. Critics accuse the government of being anti-MÄ ori in its attempts to roll back policies in favor of indigenous people and the indigenous language.
King Charles III, New Zealand’s constitutional head of state, and his wife, Queen Camilla, were “deeply saddened” by Tuheitia’s death.
“I have had the greatest pleasure of knowing Kiingi Tuheitia for decades. He was deeply committed to forging a strong future for MÄ ori and Aotearoa New Zealand, based on culture, traditions and healing, which he carried out with wisdom and compassion,” Charles said in a statement.
The week before Tuheitia’s death, thousands traveled to Turangawaewae Marae, the headquarters of the MÄ ori King Movement in the town of NgÄ ruawÄ hia, for the annual celebration of the king’s enthronement.
The seat of the king is held by the Tainui tribes in the Waikato region, and it was not yet clear who will take over the throne.
“It is expected that Kiingi Tuheitia will lie in state at Turangawaewae Marae for five days before being taken to his final resting place on Mount Taupiri,” Dad said.
