Kīngi Tūheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII (1952-2006).
Kīngi Tūheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII (1952-2006).
EDITORIAL
The death of Kīngi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII on Friday, August 30, 2024, came as a shock to the country and Māoridom in particular.
But his life must be viewed as one of service to all New Zealanders, and his calls for kotahitanga (unity) remain anaspirational goal we must each strive for.
Not all Māori are aligned to the Kīngitanga movement but all respect its status in te ao Māori and over the next few days will send representatives from each hapū to pay respects to Tūheitia.
The seventh Māori monarch, who reigned from 2006-2024, will go down in the pages of Aotearoa New Zealand history as a simple and humble man who took over from his mother, the much-loved Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, who had sat on the throne for four decades. Tūheitia, a South Auckland truck driver with a young family, didn’t want the position but ultimately grew into a great Māori King, statesman and diplomat who used his reign for good.
The thousands of tributes that flowed after his death following heart surgery complications and the condolences that came from the high and mighty as well as the average man on the street, show the mana Tuheitia had.
Tūheitia’s position as head of the Kīngitanga movement and his kōrero could easily have been used for division and disruption.
Just a few days before he went back to hospital for surgery, he watched his two soldiers, Tuku Morgan and Rahui Papa, rip strips from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s coalition Government’s agenda. Tūheitia then took to the microphone, looked at Luxon, and said we all needed to work together for the betterment of everyone, including Māori.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (left) and Māori/Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka arrive on Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia to pay their respects for Kīngi Tūheitia. Photo / Kīngitanga
Luxon knew the King’s speech, celebrating his 18th coronation, could have doubled down on Morgan’s nose punches and Papa’s subtle jabs.
But Tūheitia did not invite Luxon, Winston Peters and Shane Jones to Tūrangawaewae to embarrass them. This was an opportunity for open and honest dialogue – not political point-scoring. They came, they listened, they heard.
Tuku Morgan sets up the kōrero with the Tainui one-two. Photo / Koroneihana
On Saturday, a day after Tūheitia passed, Luxon returned to Tūrangawaewae to pay his respects in a heartfelt and emotional speech.
“You talked with optimism and positivity, you laughed, you were kind and you were gracious as always, that is the Kīngi Tūheitia that I will remember,” Luxon said to Tūheitia, who is lying in state at Tūrangawaewae.
“Just a week ago at this very place, you said we need to focus on getting in the waka and working together, mana motuhake has room for everyone.
“You said growing together is crucial, we’ve come a long way as a country and we can go even further.”
