Maori king Tuheitia goes to great beyond at 69

King Charles and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon led the tributes as flags on government and public buildings were flown at half-mast.

Charles and Camilla with King Tuheitia during a visit to Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia on November 8, 2015. Picture: AFP

The king of New Zealand’s Maoris died on Friday while recovering from heart surgery, with aides saying he had “passed to the great beyond”.

King Tuheitia, 69, died peacefully surrounded by family just days after celebrating the 18th ­anniversary of his coronation.

“The death of Kiingi Tuheitia is a moment of great sadness,” a spokesperson said. “A chief who has passed to the great beyond. Rest in love.”

The Kiingitanga (Maori king movement) was founded in 1858 with the aim of uniting New Zealand’s indigenous Maori under a single sovereign.

The position has significant political and symbolic weight, but carries no legal status.

Maori make up about 17 per cent of New Zealand’s population, or about 900,000 people.

King Charles said he was “shocked” by the news, having ­recently spoken to King Tuheitia by phone. “My wife and I were profoundly saddened to learn of the death of Kiingi Tuheitia,” he said.

Tuheitia is enthroned in 2006. Picture: AFP

“I had the greatest pleasure of knowing Kiingi Tuheitia for decades. He was deeply committed to forging a strong future for Maori and Aotearoa-New Zealand founded upon culture, traditions and healing, which he carried out with wisdom and compassion.”

Charles said he remembered with “immense fondness” his meetings with King Tuheitia in New Zealand in 2015 and at Buckingham Palace last year.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon led the tributes as flags on government and public buildings were flown at half-mast.

“Today, we mourn,” Mr Luxon said from Tonga during the Pacific Islands Forum. “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.

Tuheitia was the seventh Kiingitanga monarch. In 2006, he succeeded his mother, Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, who held the position for four decades.

The Maori monarch has been a powerful voice in New Zealand politics, particularly on issues stemming from the country’s colonial past.

The arrival of Europeans to New Zealand in 1642 brought colonisation, anti-Maori discrimination and pitched warfare that was eventually stopped through the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi.

The treaty, signed between the British and hundreds of Maori chiefs, is seen as the founding document of New Zealand and established British control over the country. But it also granted the Maori the same rights as British subjects and authority over “taonga” or treasures that can be intangible.

In March, Tuheitia made an impassioned call for whales to be granted the same legal rights as people, in a bid to protect the hallowed yet vulnerable species. He wanted the mammals to have inherent rights, such as having a healthy environment, to allow the restoration of their populations.

Former Labour prime minister Jacinda Ardern praised the king in a post on Instagram.

“You have been an advocate for Maori, for fairness, justice and prosperity. You wanted children, young people, and those who have been left behind to have ­opportunities and hope.

“You worked tirelessly on building understanding and knowledge of our shared history and in doing so, strengthening Aotearoa.”

AFP