New Zealand’s Māori King, Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, Dies at 69

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga — New Zealand’s Māori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, passed away on Friday at the age of 69. His death comes just days after the commemoration of his 18th year on the throne.

He was the seventh monarch in the Kiingitanga movement, a position established in 1858 to unify New Zealand’s Indigenous Māori tribes in the face of British colonization.

Tuheitia died in a hospital following heart surgery, according to Rahui Papa, a spokesperson for the Kiingitanga, the Māori King Movement.

The movement’s primary aims were to halt the sale of land to non-Indigenous people, put an end to inter-tribal conflicts, and provide a foundation for the preservation of Māori culture, the said. The monarch holds a largely ceremonial yet impactful role in New Zealand, where Māori make up almost 20% of the population.

“The passing of King Tuheitia is a time of deep sorrow for the followers of Kiingitanga, Maaoridom, and the entire nation,” Papa shared on social media.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon paid tribute to Tuheitia, stating that his “steadfast dedication to his people and his unwavering efforts to uphold the values and traditions of the Kiingitanga have left an enduring legacy on our nation.”

“I will recall his commitment to Aotearoa New Zealand,” Luxon said, using the country’s Māori and English names, “his devotion to mokopuna (young people), his passion for te ao Māori (the Māori world), and his vision for a future where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect.”

In recent months, Tuheitia has facilitated national unity discussions for Māori in response to policies enacted by Luxon’s center-right government. Critics have accused the government of being anti-Māori in its attempts to reverse policies that favored Indigenous people and language.

King Charles III, New Zealand’s constitutional head of state, and his wife, Queen Camilla, were “deeply saddened” by Tuheitia’s passing.

“I had the utmost pleasure of knowing Kiingi Tuheitia for many years. He was deeply dedicated to shaping a prosperous future for Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand grounded in culture, traditions, and healing, which he carried out with wisdom and compassion,” Charles remarked in a statement.

The week before Tuheitia’s passing, thousands journeyed to Turangawaewae Marae, the Māori King Movement headquarters in the town of Ngāruawāhia, for annual celebrations marking the king’s ascension to the throne.

The seat of the king is held by the Tainui tribes in the Waikato region, and it remains unclear who will succeed to the throne.

“It is anticipated that Kiingi Tuheitia will lie in state at Turangawaewae Marae for five days before being taken to his final resting place on Taupiri Mountain,” Papa indicated.