30th August 2024

Papā te whaititiri, hihiko te uira

Whakaheke ana mai ki runga o Taupiri

Mōu, e te Kiingi, kua riro nei

Whakatika rawa koe mā runga i tō waka

I ngā wai katokato o tō awa

Kia tatū ake koe ki te roro o tō whare, o Maahinaarangi

Ki te tūrangawaewae o te rāngai ariki i te pō

Kia marū ake tō papa i ngā roimata o te ao Māori

E te Kiingi, tīraha mai rā, tīraha mai rā!

Whakaata Māori extends heartfelt condolences to the whānau of Kiingi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII on his passing.

Kaihautū Shane Taurima honours the late Kiingi Tuheitia, acknowledging the profound impact his passing will have on te ao Māori and the entire nation.

“He will be remembered as a unifying pou, around which Māori could gather to build consensus on key kaupapa,” says Shane Taurima.

“Kiingi Tuheitia brought te ao Māori together - most recently in a call of Kotahitanga at the Hui-ā Motu at Tuurangawaewae marae in January. More than 10,000 presented a united front to challenge the government proposals around Te Tiriti o Waitangi and te reo Māori.”

“The mass attendance from te ao Māori at that gathering reflected the significant influence of the Kiingitanga across our communities.”

“And now, once again, we are called back to Tuurangawaewae. The nation will come together to mourn his loss, share our condolences and to remember his late mother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, his father the late Whatumoana Paki, his grandfather the late Kiingi Koroki and all those who came before them.”

“We were honoured to have Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu attend the opening of Māori Television in 2004. Kiingi Tuheitia became a loyal supporter. He opened our new premises in East Tamaki in 2017, and his daughter Ngawai hono i te po Paki attended the reclaiming of our name, Whakaata Māori, in 2022. We were again honoured to have him as a special guest at our 20th celebrations in Tāmaki Makaurau last month.”

In 2006 Whakaata Māori provided extensive coverage of the tangihanga of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu in collaboration with other media. Kiingi Tuheitia was chosen by rangatira from across the motu to succeed his mother, the beloved Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu known within Waikato simply as ‘the Lady’.

Te Ao Māori News also covered his recent trip to the Olympic Games in Paris – the first Māori monarch to attend the games. The NZ Olympic committee had invited Kiingi Tuheitia to support athletes after he blessed the korowai woven for the New Zealand flag-bearers earlier this year.

Whakaata Māori will once again collaborate with other media to provide live coverage of his tangihanga from Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawaahia on Te Reo Channel and MĀORI+ from 12.00PM today. Te Ao with Moana will have extensive coverage of the tangihanga and the Kiingitanga on Monday. There will also be dedicated programming celebrating the Kiingitanga.

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