Kiingi Tuheitia (1955–2024), king of New Zealand’s Māori 

Kiingi Tuheitia was the king of New Zealand’s indigenous Māori from 2006 until his death, a leader who worked to unify the nation’s tribes.

• Died:August 30, 2024 (Who else died on August 30?)
• Details of death:Died at the age of 69.
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Kiingi Tuheitia’s legacy

Born TÅ«heitia Paki, he was the eldest son of the Māori Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu, who reigned for a record-setting 40 years before her 2006 death. When succeeding her, the seventh monarch was given the regnal name Kiingi Tuheitia, though his full name was TÅ«heitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII. The Māori monarchy is largely ceremonial, founded during the colonial era of the 19th century as an attempt to bring the country’s diverse tribes together and preserve their culture and lands.

Kiingi Tuheitia continued to pursue that goal, issuing a call for Māori unity just last year in response to new conservative leadership in New Zealand. Other priorities during his reign included reducing disproportionate rates of incarceration for the Māori people, rebuilding after the damage from 2023’s Cyclone Gabrielle, and whale conservation in the Pacific Ocean. Whales are considered sacred in Māori tradition, and Kiingi Tuheitia joined with other Pacific leaders to pursue legal personhood for them.

Notable quote

e2809cOur mokopuna [grandchildren] deserve to inherit an ocean teeming with life, where the songs of whales continue to resonate across the vast expanse. Let this declaration be a turning point. Let us ensure the whales, our kin, our pouwhenua, continue their migrations for generations to come.e2809d e28093 from a 2024 statement on seeking legal personhood for whales

Tributes to Kiingi Tuheitia

Full obituary: The New York Times

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