Following news of Kiingi Tūheitia’s death overnight, figures from the political and Māori world have paid their respects to the venerable monarch.

Māoridom is in mourning with the news that Kiingi Tūheitia has died at age 69, following heart surgery. After 18 years on the throne, Tūheitia’s unexpected death comes just days after thousands gathered for a days-long celebration in Tūrangawaewae to mark the Kiingi’s coronation. “The death of Kiingi Tūheitia is a moment of great sadness for followers of Te Kīingitanga, Maaoridom and the entire nation,” a statement read.

The Kiingi is expected to lay in state for five days, with the first two days open to members of Tainui. The public will be able to pay their respects to the Kiingi in person from Sunday, before his expected tangi on Tuesday, where he will be buried at his final resting place at Taupiri maunga. His son Whatumoana Paki, or daughter Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki, are expected to take the throne as the next Māori monarch.

Political figures

The Prime Minister, who is currently in the Pacific, mourned Kiingi Tūheitia in a Twitter post: “Kua riro atu ra a Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero te Tuawhitu. E Te Kiingi Māori, takoto mai I te timatanga o te pō. Haere atu ra!” 

“Today, we mourn the loss of Kiingi Tūheitia. 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,” he wrote.

“I will remember his dedication to Aotearoa New Zealand, his commitment to mokopuna, his passion for te ao Māori, and his vision for a future where all people are treated with dignity and respect. I will also remember the kindness he showed me personally whenever I met with him at Turangawaewae.”

Former Prime Minister Jacinda Arden shared a series of photos with the Kingii, writing “you have been an advocate for Māori, for fairness, justice and prosperity. You wanted children, young people, and those who have been left behind to have opportunities and hope.”

“You worked tirelessly on building understanding and knowledge of our shared history and in doing so, strengthening Aotearoa. And amongst all of that, you made everyone feel welcome – including me. Nga mihi nui, Kingi. Rest easy now.”

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said the government expresses “sympathies and prayers to the Kingitanga family and Tainui people.” Peters said the Kiingi’s passing was especially saddening given the recent koroneihana celebrations.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins also paid tribute to “a fierce and staunch advocate, voice and leader, not only for Māoridom but for a better and more inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand.” He wrote the Kiingi’s “fearless and unwavering” commitment to his kaupapa will always be remembered.

Labour’s spokesperson for Māori development, Willie Jackson, told RNZ’s Morning Report that Tūheitia had an ability like none other to bring people, and particularly Māori, together. “I felt he was getting more diplomatic [in his last few years],” he said. “His whanau should be very proud of his legacy… Not all leaders have been preaching unity over the past few months.” Jackson said while there’s “a real anger on the streets”, Tūheitia was really “coming down the other side… really good and really responsible”. He would be remembered as one of Māori’s great leaders.

Te Pāti Māori co-laders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer both paid separate tribute to the Kiingi. While Waititi wrote “I love you and I will miss you” for the King, while Ngarewa-Packer shared an anecdote from dining with the Kiingi and Waititi.

“I remember being there when you first stood as our Kingi .. grassroots, humble, not fluent or flash in formalities, yet naturally prepared to serve and lead us, barely 50yrs old with a young whānau. It is this that that most appealed to me. You were relatable, and over the 18years you continued to grow and shine as the peoples Kingi, authentic, staying real,” she wrote.

Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick says Kiingi Tūheitia “put kotahitanga on the national agenda, as our guiding star, to build the country we all deserve.”

“His legacy is one of unity, kindness and truly listening to understand. Kiingi Tuuheitia’s ability to deliver incisive, unapologetic, profound truths on open hearts and ears was a testament to how he navigated the world and embodied tino rangatiratanga. His deep passion for this planet and all who lived on it – from our tamariki, to the creatures in our oceans and forests – was palpable.

“Only last week, at the 18th anniversary of his coronation, people from across the land and oceans gathered at Turangawaewae to pay their respects and weave our collective potential. Kiingi Tuheitia saw the nation we could be, and invited us all to live up to it. Our love and thoughts are with his dear wife, Makau Ariki, whānau, Tainui Waka and the entire nation in mourning.”

Another former Prime Minister, Helen Clark, wrote that she was “extremely saddened” by Tūheitia’s death. “I extend my deepest condolences to Kingi Tuheitia’s whanau & the Kingitanga throughout Aotearoa at this very sad time. Ka aroha hoki.”

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau expressed her sympathies on behalf of the Wellington City Council, remembering him as “a champion of unity and a pillar of strength, and we are committed to carrying forward his legacy of bringing people together.” The council building are currently flying all New Zealand and Māori flags at half-mast to gesture “the deep respect we hold for the Māori King and acknowledges his immense contribution to our nation.”

“I acknowledge the deep and special connection between Tainui, the Kiingitanga movement, and Taranaki, who also are the local iwi of Wellington. The bond between Tainui, the Kīngitanga and Taranaki is one of historical significance and mutual respect, reflecting the shared values of kotahitanga (unity) and whanaungatanga (kinship). As the Māori King strove to unify and uplift all people of Aotearoa, he also strengthened these age-old ties,” Whanau wrote. “Ngāti Toa and Tainui have a longstanding whakapapa connection that reinforces the unity and solidarity among our local iwi. The Māori King’s commitment to fostering unity resonates deeply within our communities in Wellington.”

Māori figures

John Tamihere, CEO of Te Whānau o Waipareira, said the Kīngitanga movement gave Māori “light and hope” in “our people’s darkest moments.”

“It is a Maori movement that never surrendered its mana. The passing of Kingi Tūheitia is deeply regretted …. Each of the holders of this great office brought their own sense of leadership,” he wrote. “Tūheitia understood the working class, he was not brought up with bells and whistles . He had that common man’s touch and a wonderful sense of humour. We will miss that. But the movement lives on forever long live the Kīngitanga.”

Lady Tureiti Moxon, MD of Te Kōhao Health (TKH) and chair of the National Urban Māori Authority, remembered the Kiingi’s, and his mother Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu’s, long relationship with TKH and its base within Kirikiriroa Marae

“He was a man of great vision and wisdom for his people. It culminated in him issuing an unprecedented royal proclamation triggering the gathering the of 10,000 people at Tūrangawaewae for Hui-aa-motu in January,” Moxon wrote. “He called the people to unity over the anti-Māori policies and anti-Māori stance of the coalition government. We all heard his call and went to tautoko – all proud to be Māori.”

“In his words and deeds, he focused on not only on uniting his people at home, but also whānau in the Pacific, particularly those of royal bloodlines, through bringing them to Tūrangawaewae. He visited them over there too as a reminder that we were all sovereign nations, so our roots remain strong.”

She also highlighted the Kiingi’s “very, very close connection with King Charles” and his work with recent TKH which included the opening of a new Māori health facility he gifted the name Taakiri Tuu in April. “‘Taakiri Tuu’ was also the name that was given to Hui-aa-Motu, his call for unison across the motu which we will continue to reflect on as part of his legacy in the coming days especially,” Moxon wrote. “So, for us this is a great loss. My heart and our prayers go out to his whānau and Makau Ariki Te
Atawhai.”

Singer and broadcaster Moana Maniapoto paid tribute to the Kingii by remembering him as a “warm and smiling man” who would “go off script sometimes – and people around him would hold their breath, while others would nod and chuckle.”

“What I delight in was how he excitedly told me how John Campbell approached him for a chat – it was honestly so cute! ‘John Campbell!’ he said. I replied, ‘I think John would think you’re pretty flash yourself!’”, she wrote. “What I reflect on is how his personality, character and the mana of his role was just what we needed at this time. What I think of too is his beautiful mother, so graceful and dignified. Sometimes people are thrust into roles reluctantly. It’s a huge personal cost, often an intrusive spotlight on a whānau. They grow, adjust and flourish with the support of those around them. I’ll celebrate a humble man who rose to the occasion.”

Meanwhile, Campbell remembered the Kingii by repeating a quote he had shared at this year’s Hui ā Motu: “The best protest we can do right now is be Maaori. Be who we are, live our values, speak our reo, care for our mokopuna, our awa, our maunga, just be Maaori. Maaori all day, every day. We are here, we are strong.”

Dignitaries

King Charles III, on behalf of the British royal family, shared a statement on Tūheitia’s death, writing that he and the Queen were “profoundly saddened” by his passing. “I had the greatest pleasure of knowing Kiingi Tūheitia for decades. He was deeply committed to forging a strong future for Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand founded upon culture, traditions and healing, which he carried out with wisdom and passion.”

“My wife and I extend our deepest condolences to Kiingi Tūheitia’s whaanau and friends and all those who mourn his loss. Our special thoughts and prayers will be with you at this most difficult and heartbreaking of times.”

In a statement, Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro wrote that news of the King’s death came as a “great sorrow”, and remembered times shared with the monarch. “The thunder crashes, the lightning flashes, it illuminates the heavens, and hammers downward. The land is forever shaking. The sadness within is palpable at the hearing of your passing,” she wrote. “We are left bereft, in the knowledge that you have returned to the ancestors. Farewell e te Ariki nui, Kiingi Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII.”

“All Waikato-Tainui and Kingitanga will be mourning the passing of their leader, and his loss will be felt across Māoridom and the wider Pacific. Kiingi Tuheitia built on the mahi of his forebears, advocating for Waikato-Tainui and promoting peace and unity. He inspired iwi Māori to hold fast to our identity and take pride in our reo. My husband Richard and I will treasure our memories of the time we spent with Kiingi Tuheitia and Te Makau Ariki, at Waitangi and at the Coronation of King Charles III in London. On behalf of all New Zealanders, I extend sincere condolences to Te Makau Ariki, Whatumoana, Korotangi and Ngā Wai Hono I Te Po.”

The Pacific General Assembly Council of Chiefs also acknowledged that “His Majesty’s waka embarked on its journey to the ancestral realm,” and pledged to uphold “the values and relationships that His Majesty fostered, ensuring that the connections between Māori and the peoples of Moana-nui-a-Kiwa continue to thrive.”

“Throughout his reign, His Majesty was a steadfast advocate for all Māori, and he made history as the first sitting head of the Kiingitanga to host a poukai specifically for the children of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa who have made Aotearoa their home,” a statement read. “We were able to witness the signing of two historic declarations at Tuurangawaewae Marae – one for the protection for whales and one for the use of ancestral knowledge for the betterment of future generations.”

Diplomats in Aotearoa have also shared their condolences, including US ambassador Tom Udall who wrote “ngā mihi aroha ki te kaahui ariki and the people of Aotearoa,” and the Turkish Embassy, which said they stand with the Kingitanga’s family and Tainui people “in the time of loss.” British High Commissioner to New Zealand, Iona Thomas, expressed her “greatest sympathies to [Tūheitia’s] whānau and all who are mourning the Māori King.”

Organisations

The New Zealand Olympic Committee, which recently hosted the Kiingi as the first Māori monarch to attend the Olympic Games this year, say they are mourning his death and have shared  their “deepest, most heartfelt condolences to his wife Te Makau Ariki, their children and mokopuna, and extend our sympathies to the Kiingitanga movement and te ao Māori at large.”

The NZOC says they have kept a long relationship with the Kiingitanga movement since late Māori Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu blessed the first Olympic kākahu, Te Māhutonga, in 2004.

“It was an honour to host him and his whānau in Paris. We are extremely thankful for the time he gifted to all of us. We are also grateful to him and his whānau for affirming our connection to France in a special visit to Arras, and for reaffirming our connection to the Oceania Olympic team through karakia, waiata, and whakawhanaungatanga,” Liz Dawson, NZOC President, said.

The social media accounts for Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori also paid tribute to the Kiingi with this message: “He maimai aroha ki a Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero Te Tuawhitu kua riro ai ki te uma o Ranginui. Haere rā, e te Kīngi. Moe mai rā i te rangimārie.”

More to come …