Kiingi Tuheitia, king of the Maori in New Zealand, dies at 69

Kiingi Tuheitia, the Maori king who called for unity among New Zealand’s Indigenous tribes during his 18 years in his ceremonial but influential role, died Friday. He was 69.

His death was announced on social media by the Kiingitanga, or the Maori King Movement. The announcement did not say where he died or specify a cause, but the Kiingitanga said he had been in a hospital recovering from heart surgery.

“The death of Kiingi Tuheitia is a moment of great sadness for followers of Te Kiingitanga, Maoridom and the entire nation,” Rahui Papa, a spokesperson for the Kiingitanga, said in a statement.

The Maori monarchy is a symbolic one, established in 1858 to unite Maori tribes against the threat of colonialism, according to New Zealand’s Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Tuheitia, whose full name was Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, was the seventh monarch, having succeeded his mother, Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu, after her death in 2006.

As of November 2022, there were an estimated 892,200 Maori in New Zealand, amounting to 17.4% of the population, according to government figures.

Many Maori were alarmed when Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s conservative government was elected last year, because some of its leaders had proposed rolling back pro-Maori policies, such as widespread official use of the Maori language. Tuheitia hosted a national meeting for Maori to hold the “coalition government to account,” and thousands of people showed up, Radio New Zealand reported.

Tuheitia told attendees, “The best protest we can do right now is be Maori,” The Guardian reported.

Tuheitia was an “advocate for Maori, for fairness, justice and prosperity,” former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a social media post.

Tuheitia was born Tuheitia Paki in 1955 in Huntly, New Zealand, according to Radio New Zealand.

As monarch, he met with royal families, government officials, foreign diplomats and international leaders. He had recently celebrated the 18th anniversary of his coronation.

He is survived by his wife, Makau Ariki, and their children, Whatumoana, Korotangi and Ngawai Hono I Te Po.

Local news outlets reported that he will lie in state for five days at Turangawaewae Marae, the seat of the Maori King Movement, before being buried at Mount Taupiri, in the Waikato region of New Zealand’s North Island.

Radio New Zealand, a public broadcaster, reported that all public buildings would fly the country’s flag at half-staff. Luxon praised the king’s “unwavering commitment to his people and his tireless efforts to uphold the values and traditions of the Kiingitanga.”

No successor was immediately announced. Radio New Zealand reported that a new leader would be chosen by the heads of the tribes associated with the Kiingitanga on the last day of his funeral.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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