Tà «heitia Pà Âtatau Te Wherowhero VII (born Tà «heitia Paki; 21 April 1955 â 30 August 2024), crowned as Këngi Tà «heitia, reigned as the MÃÂori King from 2006 until his death in 2024. He was the eldest son of the previous MÃÂori monarch, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, and was announced as her successor and crowned on 21 August 2006, the final day of her tangi.
Tà «heitia was patron to Te Matatini, the largest MÃÂori cultural festival, and also of Kirikiriroa Marae in Hamilton. He signed a formal accord with the Department of Corrections in 2017 that led to the establishment of iwi justice panels, as well as centres for female prisoners to reintegrate into prison life after giving birth. He made numerous state visits and met with other monarchs, including Charles III at the latter's coronation in 2023. Tà «heitia also advocated for MÃÂori survivors of climate change in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Among his activities, he involved himself in politics, as does the Këngitanga as an institution. In January 2024, he held a national hui of MÃÂori unity to respond to the policies of the Sixth National Government towards MÃÂori and the Treaty of Waitangi, which the Këngitanga believed were regressive and would reverse "decades of hard fought justice."
Tà «heitia struggled with poor health throughout his life. In 2024, over a week after his eighteenth koroneihana (coronation anniversary), he died in hospital following cardiac surgery. He was succeeded by his daughter Nga wai hono i te po on the day of his funeral.
Tà «heitia was the son of Whatumoana Paki (1926âÂÂ2011) and Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu (1931âÂÂ2006), who married in 1952. He was educated at Rakaumanga School in Huntly, Southwell School in Hamilton and St. Stephen's College (Te Kura o Tipene) in Bombay, south of Auckland, New Zealand. He had five sisters â Heeni Katipa ( Paki); Tomairangi Paki; Mihi ki te ao Paki; Kiki Solomon ( Paki); Manawa Clarkson ( Paki) â and one brother, Maharaia Paki.
He was married to Te Atawhai, who has the title Makau Ariki, and they had three children: Whatumoana, Korotangi, and Nga wai hono i te po. Following his ascent to the throne, Te Atawhai was appointed patron of the MÃÂori Women's Welfare League in 2007 and Te Kohao Health, a MÃÂori public health organisation.
Tà «heitia suffered ill health in 2013 and announced that he was establishing Te Kaunihera a te Kiingi (the King's Council) and deputising his elder son Whatumoana to act in his stead. As the King's representative, Whatumoana was given the title Te Whirinaki a te Këngi, the title held by Te Wherowhero TÃÂwhiao while he acted for King Mahuta in the early 1900s. Tà «heitia later experienced a falling out with Whatumoana after the latter married Rangimarie Tahana in June 2022. In response, the Office of the Këngitanga publicly denounced Whatumoana and Tahana's wedding and stripped Whatumoana of his royal title.
In 2013, Tà «heitia also announced that his second-born son Korotangi would not succeed him as King due to concerns about his readiness. Korotangi was subsequently convicted of drink-driving offending in 2014 and assaulting his girlfriend in 2020. Following Tà «heitia's death in late August 2024, his daughter Nga wai hono i te po succeeded him as MÃÂori Queen.
The King generally spoke publicly only once a year, at the annual celebrations in NgÃÂruawÃÂhia of his coronation.
His official duties included attending the following events:
King Tà «heitia attended hundreds of events every year both nationally and internationally. He was the patron to several key organisations; including Te Matatini, the largest MÃÂori cultural festival in the world, and Kirikiriroa Marae, a large urban marae in Hamilton.
He frequently received international dignitaries, foreign diplomats, members of other royal families, and members of governments. In 2014, the King notably received 26 diplomats to discuss international and trade interests for the Këngitanga.
In 2009, King Tà «heitia visited the New Zealand Parliament and was acknowledged in the valedictory speech of the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark. In the same year, the King accompanied Helen Clark to the United Nations upon her appointment as the United Nations Development Programme administrator.
The King regularly attended significant events of MÃÂoridom around the country. In July 2018, the King and Royal family attended the 150th Celebrations of the Ringatu Church, to which the King's eldest grandson, Hikairo, has been baptised. The King also frequently attended the annual 25 January celebrations of the RÃÂtana Church expressing his continued support for all denominations and his deep desire to unify the people.
In 2018, two archbishops of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia visited Tà «rangawaewae to join in honouring King Tà «heitia and 160 years of the Këngitanga. In May 2019, King Tà «heitia and members of the Whare Ariki travelled to the Vatican City where the King met Pope Francis in a private audience. The two met and discussed issues pertaining to Te Iwi Maori and indigenous peoples around the world. King Tà «heitia also issued a formal invitation for the Pope to visit Tà «rangawaewae marae and New Zealand.
In the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, King Tà «heitia visited parts of the devastated East Coast across the NgÃÂti Kahungunu rohe to help rebuild.
The Poukai is an annual series of visits by the MÃÂori King to marae around and beyond the Tainui region, a tradition that dates back to the 19th century. Poukai were established by the second MÃÂori King, TÃÂwhiao, who said "Kua whakatà «ria e ahau tÃÂnei kaupapa hei whÃÂngai i te pouaru, te pani me te rawakore, he kuaha whÃÂnui kua puare ki te puna tangata me te puna kai" (I have instituted this gathering to feed the widowed, the bereaved and the destitute, it is a doorway that has been opened to the multitudes of people and the bounty of food).
There are 29 Poukai every year and King Tà «heitia attended each one. Poukai are a critical event in the Këngitanga calendar. A unique element of Poukai is their focus on: te pani (the bereaved), te pouaru (the widowed) and te rawakore (the destitute). These events, led by the monarch, are put in place to assist and help ease the burdens and challenges faced by people.
King Tà «heitia was at the forefront of many political issues, particularly pertaining to MÃÂori.
In February 2017, King Tà «heitia signed a formal accord with the Department of Corrections; the accord would later be recognised by an award from Corrections in August the same year. The accord led to the development of "iwi justice panels", and a further partnership with Corrections to build a reintegration centre for incarcerated women who gave birth while in prison. In a visit to a women's prison in Auckland, the King visited mothers and their children and pledged to do more for all incarcerated people. In 2018, the King launched, in collaboration with the New Zealand Police and Ministry of Justice, the iwi justice panel. This approach to restorative justice aims to reduce incarceration rates among MÃÂori, which are among the highest for an indigenous people in the world.
In December 2023, King Tà «heitia issued a royal proclamation to hold a national hui (meeting) to promote MÃÂori unity in January 2024. The hui was in response to the Këngitanga movement's concerns that the new National-led coalition government's policies towards the Treaty of Waitangi would reverse "decades of hard fought justice." The national hui was held at Tà «rangawaewae marae on 20 January 2024. Key topics expected to be discussed at the hui included the Government's proposals to abolish Te Aka Whai Ora (the MÃÂori Health Authority), roll back the use of the MÃÂori language in the public service, repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022 and review the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. During his address, Tuheitia said âÂÂthe best protest we can do right now is be MÃÂori, be who we are, live our values, speak our reo, care for our mokopuna.âÂÂ
On 15 January 2024, King Tà «heitia met with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Minister for MÃÂori Development Tama Potaka and discussed several of the Government's policies including the proposed Treaty Principles legislation and plans to roll back the use of MÃÂori language in the public service. The King's chaplain, Archdeacon Simmonds, stated that the King would continue to speak MÃÂori regardless of Government policy and direction.
On 20 January, 10,000 people attended the national hui at Tuurangawaewae Marae including former Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, activist and artist Tame Iti, former New Zealand First and National MP Tau Henare, former Te PÃÂti MÃÂori president Tuku Morgan, and National MPs Tama Potaka and Dan Bidois (who attended as government representatives). The national hui commenced with five workshops focusing on the MÃÂori language, Treaty of Waitangi, national identity, oranga tangata (well-being of people) and oranga taiao (well-being of nature) followed by a plenary session. Tà «heitia addressed attendees at 4pm.
During his address, King Tà «heitia stated that "the best protest we can do right now is be MÃÂori, be who we are, live our values, speak our reo ['language'], care for our mokopuna ['children']." He also said that the world was watching and urged the Government not to tamper with the Treaty of Waitangi in its proposed legislation. Tà «heitia also said that other indigenous nations were supporting the MÃÂori cause and that the kohanga movement had a new generation of leaders.
King Tà «heitia attended a further national hui, held at Hastings in late May 2024.
In mid-August 2024, Tà «heitia's eighteenth koroneihana (coronation anniversary celebration) was held at Tà «rangawaewae Marae in NgÃÂruawÃÂhia. Invitations were extended to leaders across the New Zealand political spectrum. While the National, Labour, New Zealand First, Te PÃÂti MÃÂori and the Greens accepted the invitations extended to their leaders, ACT declined. On 20 and 21 August, Prime Minister Luxon and NZ First senior minister Shane Jones reiterated that neither party would support ACT's Treaty Principles Bill beyond its first reading.
Tà «heitia was a truck driver before becoming the MÃÂori King. His time in the profession was widely reported on after his death, although he spent most of his career as administrator at Te WÃÂnanga o Aotearoa. At the time of his ascension, Tà «heitia was cultural adviser to Te WÃÂnanga and had previously managed its campus in Huntly. According to Willie Jackson, former Minister of MÃÂori Development, Tà «heitia was never groomed to be king, and was given short notice about his ascension in 2006 by his dying mother. He was apparently "almost immediately assailed by lobbyists and political groups jockeying for his favour". Tà «heitia was known for his bright and exuberant personality, and was described as a âÂÂa bit of a characterâ by the Waikato Times. He co-founded the Huntly-based Taniwharau Culture Group, a kapa haka, and regularly participated.
Tà «heitia suffered from poor health throughout much of his reign. At his koroneihana in 2014, he revealed he was battling diabetes and an unspecified type of cancer. He had to appoint his son Whatumoana as regent in 2013 because of his health battles, and in December 2016 underwent a kidney transplant donated by his youngest son, Korotangi.
On 30 August 2024, over a week after his eighteenth koroneihana, Tà «heitia died while recovering from heart surgery in hospital in Hamilton. He was 69. A new monarch, his daughter Nga wai hono i te po, was elected by leaders of tribes associated with the Këngitanga on the day of Tà «heitia's funeral.
An advisory council, the Tekau-mÃÂ-Rua ('the Twelve'), exists to offer advice and act as a senior council within the Këngitanga. From the time of TÃÂwhiao to Te Atairangikaahu, the Tekau-mÃÂ-Rua were selected from within Tainui, the monarch's tribal confederation. Historically all members were men. Te Atairangikaahu's council went into recess after Henare Tuwhangai died in 1989. King Tà «heitia decided to re-establish the Tekau-mÃÂ-Rua, but made up of members from outside Tainui, and including women. He asked iwi leaders in August 2013 to suggest candidates. Forty-eight iwi leaders from around New Zealand met in March 2014 and selected members. Hemana Manuera was the inaugural chair, and other members included Pou Temara, Sir Toby Curtis, Kihi Ngatai, Mere Broughton and June Mariu. Tà «heitia established a spiritual council, Te KÃÂhui Wairua, at the same time, with membership from various churches. These two councils worked together in providing advice, guidance and a strategic platform for the King and the Këngitanga.
At August 2023:
At 2020:
At 2020: