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“Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has died peacefully this morning, accompanied by his wife Makau Ariki and their children,” kiingitanga confirmed on social media.
“Kiingitanga Spokesman Rahui Papa says Te Kiingi had been in hospital recovering from heart surgery, just days after celebrating the 18th anniversary of his coronation.The death of Kiingi Tuheitia is a moment of great sadness for followers of Te Kiingitanga, Maaoridom and the entire nation,” kiingitanga added.
He was the seventh ruler in the Kiingitanga movement, a position established in 1858 to unite New Zealand’s Indigenous Māori tribes in the face of British colonization.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon paid tribute to King Tuheitia, saying his vision for a future where all people are treated with dignity and respect.
“Today, we mourn the loss of Kiingi Tuheitia. 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,” Luxon said on X.
In recent months, Tuheitia has coordinated national unity talks for Māori in response to policies of Luxon’s center-right government. Critics accuse the government of being anti-Māori in its efforts to reverse policies favoring Indigenous people and language, AP reported.
King Charles III, New Zealand’s constitutional head of state, and Queen Camilla expressed their profound sadness at Tuheitia’s passing, saying, “I had the greatest pleasure of knowing Kiingi Tuheitia 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 compassion.”
In the week prior to Tuheitia’s death, thousands of people traveled to Turangawaewae Marae, the Māori King Movement headquarters in Ngāruawāhia, for the annual celebrations of the king’s ascension to the throne. The seat of the king is held by the Tainui tribes in the Waikato region, and the successor to the throne has not yet been determined. Tuheitia is expected to lie in state at Turangawaewae Marae for five days before being laid to rest on Taupiri Mountain, as per AP.
