Aotearoa New Zealand mourns Māori King Kiingi Tuheitia

• Māori King Kiingi Tuheitia died suddenly early Friday, aged 69, following recent heart surgery
• His body has arrived at Tuurangawaewae marae, in preparation for his tangihanga
• The tangihanga is expected to be held next Thursday, 5 September
• Political leaders from across the spectrum have paid tribute to the king
• The line of Māori sovereigns stretches back to 1858, and Tuheitia was the seventh monarch

Māoridom is preparing for what will likely be its biggest tangi in nearly 20 years after the sudden death of Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII.

Kiingi Tuheitia died "peacefully" in hospital at 69 following recent heart surgery with his family around him, a statement by the office of the Kiingitanga said early Friday morning.

RNZ's Tumu Māori Shannon Haunui-Thompson said te ao Māori - if not the entire nation - was shocked by the news as they had only last week seen him standing at the koroneihana, marking the 18th anniversary of his coronation.

"It's an understatement to say that everyone's in shock."

Kiingi Tuheitia is expected to lie in state at Tuurangawaewae Marae for five days.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is expected to pay his respects on Saturday.

Speaking from the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, Luxon said the king was a dedicated servant to his people.

"I will remember his dedication to Aotearoa New Zealand, his commitment to mokopuna, his passion for te ao Māori, and his vision for a future where all people are treated with dignity and respect.

"I will also remember the kindness he showed me personally whenever I met with him at Tuurangawaewae."

Following a tangihanga expected to take place Thursday, 5 September, Kiingi Tuheitia would then be taken to his final resting place on Taupiri Mountain.

It is likely his successor will be named following the tangi.

Read more of RNZ's coverage:

• The life of Kiingi Tuheitia
• In photos: Māori King's 18-year-reign
• What happens now: After the king's death

Praise for Kiingi Tuheitia's accomplishments

Kiingi Tuheitia succeeded his mother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, following her death in 2006.

He was the seventh of the line of Pootatau Te Wherowhero to head the Kiingitanga, which was founded in 1858.

Kiingi Tuheitia was called an unpretentious man and his home remained the house he and his wife built at Huntly at Waahi Marae.

The king had been vocal about speaking up for Māori, particularly after the election of the National-led government in 2023.

He hosted a nationwide hui in January and told attendees "the treaty is written".

"Mana motuhake is ours, it will last forever," he said.

"We need a way forward that brings kotahitanga to all of Aotearoa. The way forward needs to bring peace and unity for everybody.

"These issues are bigger than politics. There's more mahi to do."

Kiingi Tuheitia also brought the same message to Waitangi in February.

Minister for Māori Development and Māori-Crown Relations Tama Potaka called the king a unifying force.

"Kiingi Tuheitia was not only a symbol of kotahitanga and unity and resilience for Māori, but an advocate of all New Zealanders growing together. His leadership and commitment to our kaupapa will leave a significant mark in our history and for future generations."

Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger told the New Zealand Herald Kiingi Tuheitia was a "gentleman's gentleman" who worked hard behind the scenes on the first Treaty of Waitangi settlement negotiated directly between an iwi and the Crown. That was signed in 1995, during Bolger's premiership.

Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi said his death was "deeply mourned".

"Kiingi Tuheitia was grassroots, humble, not fluent or flashy in formalities, yet naturally prepared to serve and lead," Ngarewa-Packer said.

"His legacy of unification, of mana motuhake and rangatiratanga, will live on through the movement and through te iwi Māori," Waititi said.

Reaction from NZ and around the globe

In addition to Luxon and Te Pāti Māori, all other major party leaders in Parliament paid tribute to the king.

"It will be a state of serious grieving, and rightly so," Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told RNZ's Morning Report.

"Kiingi Tuheitia was a fierce and staunch advocate, voice and leader, not only for Māoridom - but for a better and more inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand," Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said.

Leaders from the Greens, ACT and many MPs also paid tribute.

World leaders praised the late king, among them King Charles III, who said he and Queen Camilla were "profoundly saddened" at the news.

"I had the greatest pleasure of knowing Kiingi Tuheitia for decades," the King said in a message of condolence.

"He was deeply committed to forging a strong future for Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand founded upon culture, traditions and healing, which he carried out with wisdom and compassion."

What happens next

It was likely thousands would attend the tangi, RNZ's Julian Wilcox said.

Representatives from across the Waikato region will make their way to the Tuurangawaewae marae over the next two days. There will be two powhiri a day, one at 8am and one at 2pm for the next six days.

Iwi, delegations from across the motu, Pacific leaders and other international dignitaries will congregate at the tangi from Sunday.

At the end of the tangi, it is likely the new head of the Kiingitanga will be named.

"It's an elective monarchy so we don't know who that will be. Tekaumārua, which was the king's privy council, they will convene and lead that process in the coming days," Kiingitanga chief of staff Ngira Simmonds said.

He said the monarch would look to preserve unity and kotahitanga with its next successor.

The leaders of the different iwi across the motu would decide who the next successor would be from the monarch's whānau.

Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere described Tuheitia as "the people's king".

"He had no bells and whistles about him. He'd worked in labouring jobs in and around the Waikato and the north and he had a common man touch.

"That was part of his legacy, and the legacy of his 17 or 18 years at the helm."