Māori King Kiingi Tuheitia funeral: What we know so far about the coming week (2024)

The next week will be massive for Māoridom after the death of Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII.

Kiingi Tuheitia will be laid to rest alongside his mother Dame Te Atairangikaahu and previous Māori kings on the sacred Taupiri Mountain.

RNZ's Julian Wilcox is at Turangawaewae marae where Kiingi Tuheitia's body has arrived and will be followed by a powhiri to welcome guests from Tainui-Waka federation.

Representatives from across the Waikato region will make their way to the 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 to the tangi from Sunday.

Wilcox told Midday Report Kiingi Tuheitia's burial is expected on Thursday next week.

He anticipates wait times to get onto the marae on the day of the burial to take hours.

Here's what to expect over the next week.

Successor

Kiingitanga chief of staff Ngira Simmonds told Morning Report Tainui will be looking after the kiingitanga over the next couple of days.

The iwi will gather, followed by the rest of te ao Māori and the rest of the nation who plan to pay their respects, at Turangawaewae marae.

A day will be set aside for international dignitaries.

The new monarch will be crowned on the final day of the tangi.

"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," Simmonds said.

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

"The kiingitanga was not a conquering monarchy, the king's tribe Waikato didn't conquer other tribes of Māoridom in pursuit of the kingship, it was a request from the other tribes and that tradition continues to this very day."

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

Ngāti Kahungunu chair Bayden Barber told Morning Report, the next person who takes over will have to maintain a calm and diplomatic demeanour.

"There will be some discussions towards the end of the week I guess about the successor and those will be very important discussions for not just Tainui-Waikato but for the rest of the motu. The kiingitanga movement is a motu movement... with the loss of King Tuheitia, his successor will have to hit the ground running," Barber said.

He said kotahitanga and unity need to continue from the kiingitanga.

Parliament

Parliament is in the process of working through how it will represent itself at the kiingitanga's tangi.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said he hoped there was unity amongst the different parties.

"We as Parliament have to make up our mind how we're going to represent ourselves, there will be individual party decisions but I hope collectively we work out the day we will attend the tangi and what we can do going forward. That will of course depend upon the wishes of Tainui in particular, it's a bit premature to be saying what we should be doing when its a matter of serious consultation now," he said.

Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka told Morning Report this will be a tangihanga of incredible significance.

"Undoubtedly there will be varied attendance's but the details of both the tangihanga and also the Crown's tautoko for that tangihanga are yet to be finalised. I think from myself and the Prime Minister's Office and the kōrero that will go on as to how we best support it," he said.

He is awaiting guidance from the prime minister to support the government as effectively as he can.

All government and public buildings will fly the New Zealand flag at half-mast with immediate effect to mark the death of Kiingi Tuuheitia.

The half-masting notice made by minister Paul Goldsmith applies to all government departments, buildings, and naval vessels that have flag poles and would normally fly the New Zealand flag.

Flags will fly at half-mast until further notice.

Māori queen's death - six day tangi

More than 430,000 people watched coverage of her tangi at Turangawaewae marae when Tuheitia's mother Dame Te Atairangikaahu died in 2006.

Her body lied in state at Turangawaewae Marae for five days after she died peacefully at her home, aged 75.

The sixth Māori monarch was the longest serving. Her funeral attracted more 130,000 people, shortly after celebrating her 40th jubilee as Queen.

Tens of thousands of people watched as her body was taken by a flotilla of waka down Waikato River and her casket was carried up the sacred Tapiri Mountain for burial.

The last six monarchs were selected by leaders from other iwi. The coronation for Kiingi Tuheitia took place immediately before Dame Te Ata's burial.

State Highway 1 closed and carparking was made available on Tainui land at Hopuhopu, along with buses to cater for the thousands of people who wished to pay their respects.

There were also political kōrero, including from Tainui's executive chair Tuku Morgan who called on the government to complete the long running Waikato river claims.

Morgan said bringing closure to the settlement is what Dame Te Atairangikaahu would have wanted.

Her tangihanga lasted six days and was the largest ever held at Taupiri Mountain.

Speaking to Morning Report, Mihingarangi Forbes said there was not a single space where you could move in Ngaaruawaahia.

"There was a flotilla of waka around her. It was a beautiful day. And she ... her tūpāpaku ... glided down the river to Taupiri maunga, and at the bottom ... there were thousands of people who carried her up the maunga and I imagine that would be similar to what would happen with this tangi," she said.