Pacific whānau pay tribute to Māori monarch

Māoridom is in mourning. And so is their Pacific whānau.

When news broke that Māori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII had died, the Pacific Islands Forum leaders were wrapping up their weeklong summit in Tonga.

Kīngi Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII with Kaumaiti Nui Tou Travel Ariki of the Cook Islands and their wives at the He Whakaputanga Moana (Declaration for the Ocean) initiative at Atupare Marae, House of Ariki Estate, in Rarotonga in March. Photo/Te Ao Māori

The Kiingitanga confirmed on social media on Friday he passed away peacefully surrounded by family. He was 69.

Forum secretary-general Baron Waqa says it was “devastating” to receive the news as the leaders’ meeting was being completed.

Waqa said Kiingi Tuheitia, crowned Te Arikinui Kiingi Tuheitia, was highly respected in the region, and the “whole of the Pacific will mourn his passing.

Watch PMN journalist Atutahi Potaka-Dewes (Te Aroha, Ngati Porou) talanoa about the death of Kiingi Tuheitia.

“We're all here in Tonga, finishing off the leaders' meeting, and this is ... devastating news for us."

Forum chair and Tonga Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Sioasi Sovaleni said he was saddened when he heard the news.

Tonga’s King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho had only just arrived home from New Zealand after attending Te Koroneihana, commemorating 18 years of Kiingi Tuheitia’s coronation, at Turangawaewae Marae last week.

Hu'akavameiliku said the relationship between the two royal families strengthened the ties of Tonga and Aotearoa.

He said Tongans were feeling the loss of “this great leader of the Pacific.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with New Zealand."

Kiingi Tuheitia and Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka during his first official visit to Fiji in December. Photo/Fiji govt

The New Zealand flag was lowered to half-mast for Kiingi Tuheitia at the New Zealand High Commission residence in Nuku’alofa.

The Pacific General Assembly Council of Chiefs has also acknowledged Tuheitia’s death.

“It is with profound sadness that our deepest condolences are extended to the grieving whānau and all those who mourn this great loss of His Majesty Te Ariki Nui Kiingi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII.

“His Majesty’s waka has embarked on its journey to the ancestral realm, as confirmed by the office of theKiingitanga.

“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-ā-Kiwa who have made Aotearoa their home.

“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.

Kiingi Tuheitia, right, shares a joke with Hawai'i Governor Josh Green and wife Jaime Green during FestPAC in Honolulu in June. Photo/supplied

“The Pacific General Assembly Council of Chiefs remains committed to upholding the values and relationships that His Majesty fostered, ensuring that the connections between Māori and the peoples of Moana-nui-ā-Kiwa continue to thrive.”

Tuheitia was instrumental in uniting - not only his people - but Pasifika in Aotearoa and around the world, Hawai’i Governor Josh Green said.

In his tribute, Green recognised the king’s significance and legacy.

Green said he met the Māori King at the Festival of Pacific Arts (FestPAC) in Honolulu in June.

“Today, we grieve the loss of King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII of Aotearoa.

“We and our Pasifika neighbours are blessed that he was able to join us at FestPAC here in Hawai‘i.

From left, Tonga's Queen Nanasipau'u, Kiingi Tuheitia, Tonga's King Tupou VI, and Te Makau Ariki Te Atawhai at Te Koroneihana celebrations in Turangawaewae last week. Photo/PMN News-Ala Vailala

“The king has left with a legacy of unity and strength, which has energised the Pacific.

“We are one ‘ohana, bound by the vast ocean that connects our lands, our traditions, and our hearts. King Tuheitia reminded us that we are not just people of the Pacific - we are its soul, its custodians.

“The entirety of Pasifika mourns this profound loss. May we continue to celebrate, protect, and nurture the legacy left behind by leaders like King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, as we carry forward the mantle of stewardship for our beloved Oceania. "

Green said he met Kiingi Tuheitia earlier this year for an annual series of meetings between Pacific leaders.

The discussions were around issues of regional and international concern such as climate change and environmental protection.

“Jaime [wife] and I had the privilege of meeting with him many times during the festival, and we shared a commitment to the rich tapestry of cultures that bind the Pacific together.

“Rest in peace, King Tuheitia. Your spirit lives on in the hearts of all who call the Pacific home.”

A framed Rotuman lei, tefui, was presented as a gift to Kiingi Tuheitia during Te Koroneihana. Photo/supplied

Cook Islanders are also in mourning, Prime Minister Mark Brown said, adding that they would remember the great things Tuheitia had done.

Brown said the Kiingitanga had a close relationship with the Cook Islands.

"Haera ra e te ariki, It's a very sad day for us. Memories stick out of a person with such a strong belief in his people.

“He was humble, his humbleness, his humility, this strong mana that he carried with him.”

Tuheitia travelled extensively in the Pacific and while he was a regular visitor to Fiji over the years, his first official visit there was in December.

During that visit, he caught up with old friends including the family of the late prime minister and high chief, Turaga Tūī Nayau, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara.

Tuheitia remained very close to Mara’s family, even after Ratu Sir Kamisese died in 2004 and his mother, Te Atairangikaahu Korokī Te Rata Mahuta Tāwhiao Pōtatau’s passing in 2006.

Kiingi Tuheitia is garlanded during a visit to Fiji as he is pictured, right, with Fijian high chief Ratu Epenisa Cakobau and Sāmoa's Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Tupuola Tufuga Efi, second right, in Suva in February. Photo/Fiji govt

The Fijians also paid their respects to the Māori king, with the government remembering Tuheitia’s last visit there in February.

“The Māori King demonstrated the historical, cultural, and traditional ties between our peoples, with mutual values of trust and respect, deeply rooted in our oneness as Pasifika peoples,” Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said.

“It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of the Māori King, Tuuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII."

The seventh Māori Monarch, since 1858, will lay in state at Turangawaewae Marae with his funeral planned next week.

He will be laid to rest alongside his mother Dame Te Atairangikaahu and previous Māori kings on the sacred Taupiri Mountain.

Kiingi Tūheitia is survived by his wife, Te Atawhai, their two sons Whatumoana and Korotangi, and their daughter, Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki. Whatumoana Paki is likely to succeed his father as the next Māori monarch.

The position of Māori monarch is not hereditary by right and a new leader is appointed by leaders of the tribes associated with the Kiingitanga on the day of the previous monarch's funeral and before burial.

Kiingi Tuheitia at the Hinemoana Halo Ocean Initiative in Rarotonga in March. Photo/Te Ao Māori