Kīngi Tūheitia was taken far too soon. He had stood with and led his people, our people, through adversity. He called on us all to protect our health during Covid-19, he stood strong in the face of natural disasters and remained staunch in response to the Government’s 100-day plan – he called for our people to unite.
He again called for unity and for Kotahitanga at the first Hui a Motu in January this year, amid early signs that the new Government was preparing to unleash a raft of anti-Māori policies being peddled by coalition partners. Kiingi Tuuheitia offered reassuring words to te Iwi Māori through his kupu: “Be who we are, live our values, speak our reo, care for our mokopuna, our awa, our maunga, just be Māori. Māori all day, every day, we are here, we are strong”.
The subsequent attacks on te Iwi Māori have been very real and almost a weekly occurrence. There’s been a disturbing series of anti-Māori decisions made by this Government including sidelining use of te reo, dismantling Te Aka Whai Ora, disconnecting tamariki from their whakapapa, removing Māori wards, and the list goes on.
At a time when our founding document is under attack, with the Government’s proposed Treaty Principles Bill poised to rewrite our history in a way that completely gaslights Māori, we again ought to bear in mind the words of Kīngi Tūheitia.
He made his stance clear on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, that “it gives tauiwi their right and confirms that we’re already here”, indicating that the version with the legal and moral weight is the one written in te reo.
Kīngi Tūheitia was well aware of the potential for damage to our country from this coalition’s policies, but he wisely urged people not to overestimate the power of a single government. He reminded us of people power, that we can create solutions to the problems we all face when we focus on getting into the waka together, and work as one.
The Kīngi called for unity, not just for our people here in Aotearoa but also for our environment. He understood how crucial the environment is to our existence – how without our taiao, our people will perish.
At a recent Poukai at Tūrangawaewae, Kīngi Tūheitia shared with the Greens his concerns for the environment and discussed the recent He Whakaputanga Moana (Declaration for the Ocean) which the Kīngi and Whare Ariki of the Pacific signed to promote indigenous-led ocean protection efforts, while also calling for legal personhood for the tohorā (whale) that they may be elevated in status to as a taonga species.
As we farewell our Kīngi, we will continue to reflect on, and be guided by, his extraordinary leadership over the last 18 years. E ai ki tōna kōrero “Mana motuhake is ours, it will last forever. It lives in every iwi and hapū. Our tikanga shows us the way to keep us safe”.
Moe mai rā e te Kīngi, hoki atu ki te poho o ō tūpuna, kia au tō moe.
