Tuheitia Paki
Encyclopedia
Tuheitia Paki, KStJ
(born 21 April 1955) is the current Māori King
in New Zealand
. He is the eldest son of the previous Māori monarch, Dame Te Atairangikaahu
, and was announced as her successor and crowned on the same day as her tangihanga
(funeral rites) took place, on 21 August 2006. His official title has not yet been decided but it is understood it will not be Te Arikinui (the great leader / chief), his mother's title.
He was educated at Rakaumanga School in Huntly
, Southwell School
in Hamilton and St Stephen's College in Bombay
.
On 27 November 2007, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of St John
, which was upgraded to a Knight in 2010.
, and his mother, the late Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, married in 1952. He is married to Te Atawhai and has three children: Whatumoana, Korotangi, and Ngawai Hono I Te Po. He has five sisters and one brother: Heeni Katipa (née Paki) Tomairangi Paki, Mihi ki te ao Paki, Kiki Soloman (née Paki), Manawa Clarkson (née Paki) and lastly his younger brother Maharaia Paki. After Paki's assent to the throne, Te Atawhai was appointed patroness of the Māori Women's Welfare League
in 2007.
In 2011 Korotangi Paki, Tuheitia's middle child and youngest son was involved in a car accident after which he was charged with boy racer charges.
Cultural Advisor to Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
at Huntly
.
He only speaks publicly once a year, at the annual celebrations in Ngaruawahia of his coronation.
Since ascending to the throne official duties include:
In December 2010 he attempted to sack the Te Kauhanganui chairperson Tania Martin, Hiiona Marae's elected representative on Te Kauhanganui in connection with a report which she tabled detailing financial issues, however, the constitutional rules of Tainui's Parliament only allow for Te Kauhanganui itself to elect or remove its chairperson. As of January 2011, Mrs Martin remains the chairperson of Te Kauhanganui, having been reaffirmed by a vote.
In March 2011, issues arose over travel expenses for Te Makau Ariki Atawhai and Te Ariki Tamaroa Whatumoana, Paki's consort and son.
In June 2011, David Rankin of the Ngāpuhi
iwi
attacked both Paki and the Governments' use of the term Māori King to describe him, saying that not only had tribes such as Ngāpuhi
never supported the kingitanga movement
, but that Paki didn't even speak te reo Māori
.
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
(born 21 April 1955) is the current Māori King
Maori King Movement
The Māori King Movement or Kīngitanga is a movement that arose among some of the Māori tribes of New Zealand in the central North Island ,in the 1850s, to establish a role similar in status to that of the monarch of the colonising people, the British, as a way of halting the alienation of Māori land...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He is the eldest son of the previous Māori monarch, Dame Te Atairangikaahu
Te Atairangikaahu
Dame Te Atairangikaahu, ONZ, DBE, OStJ was the Māori queen for 40 years, the longest reign of any Māori monarch. Her full name and title was Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu...
, and was announced as her successor and crowned on the same day as her tangihanga
Tangihanga
Tangihanga, or more commonly, Tangi, is a Māori funeral rite.Each iwi differs on how they honour those who pass. Tangihanga generally take three days with burial on the third day. From the moment of death, the tūpāpaku is rarely alone. The tūpāpaku is transported to the marae...
(funeral rites) took place, on 21 August 2006. His official title has not yet been decided but it is understood it will not be Te Arikinui (the great leader / chief), his mother's title.
He was educated at Rakaumanga School in Huntly
Huntly, New Zealand
Huntly is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 1, 93 kilometres south of Auckland and 35 kilometres north of Hamilton. It is situated on the North Island Main Trunk Railway and straddles the Waikato River.Huntly was called Rahui Pokeka when...
, Southwell School
Southwell School
Southwell School is an independent co-educational Anglican preparatory school located in Hamilton, New Zealand. Southwell School caters for the academic, cultural, sporting and spiritual needs of 4 to 13 year olds...
in Hamilton and St Stephen's College in Bombay
Bombay Hills, New Zealand
The Bombay Hills are a range of hills to the south of Auckland, New Zealand. Though only a small and seemingly insignificant range of hills, they lie at the southern boundary of the Auckland region, and serve as a divide between Auckland and the Waikato region...
.
On 27 November 2007, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of St John
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
, which was upgraded to a Knight in 2010.
Family
Tuheitia Paki's father, the late Whatumoana PakiWhatumoana Paki
Whatumoana Paki was a New Zealand Maori royal elder. Paki was the husband of the late Maori Queen, Te Atairangikaahu, who reigned from 1966 to 2006. He and Te Atairangikaahu were the parents of the present Maori King, Tuheitia Paki....
, and his mother, the late Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, married in 1952. He is married to Te Atawhai and has three children: Whatumoana, Korotangi, and Ngawai Hono I Te Po. He has five sisters and one brother: Heeni Katipa (née Paki) Tomairangi Paki, Mihi ki te ao Paki, Kiki Soloman (née Paki), Manawa Clarkson (née Paki) and lastly his younger brother Maharaia Paki. After Paki's assent to the throne, Te Atawhai was appointed patroness of the Māori Women's Welfare League
Māori Women's Welfare League
The Māori Women’s Welfare League or Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko I te Ora is a New Zealand welfare organisation focusing on Māori women and children...
in 2007.
In 2011 Korotangi Paki, Tuheitia's middle child and youngest son was involved in a car accident after which he was charged with boy racer charges.
Duties and background
Prior to becoming King, he was the TainuiTainui
Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato...
Cultural Advisor to Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
Te Wananga o Aotearoa
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is a tertiary education provider, specifically a wānanga, in New Zealand. The organisation was established to improve the social and economic wellbeing of those who had previously had negative experiences with the secondary education system...
at Huntly
Huntly, New Zealand
Huntly is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 1, 93 kilometres south of Auckland and 35 kilometres north of Hamilton. It is situated on the North Island Main Trunk Railway and straddles the Waikato River.Huntly was called Rahui Pokeka when...
.
He only speaks publicly once a year, at the annual celebrations in Ngaruawahia of his coronation.
Since ascending to the throne official duties include:
- attending the funeral of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of TongaTongaTonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
, September 2006 - attending the opening of PūkawaPukawaPūkawa / Pūkawa Bay is a bay and a small township on the western shores of Lake Taupo in New Zealand. It is off State Highway 41 between Turangi and Taumarunui. It is home of the Ngati Manunui hapu of Ngāti Tūwharetoa and the newly-opened Manunui-a-Ruakapanga marae, which was opened on 18 November...
MaraeMaraeA marae malae , malae , is a communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies...
on the shore of Lake TaupoLake TaupoLake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray ....
, Aotearoa, on 17–19 November 2006. - attending the opening of "Mauri Ora" an exhibition of Māori artefacts from Te PapaMuseum of New Zealand Te Papa TongarewaThe Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
on exhibition at the Tokyo National MuseumTokyo National MuseumEstablished 1872, the , or TNM, is the oldest and largest museum in Japan. The museum collects, houses, and preserves a comprehensive collection of art works and archaeological objects of Asia, focusing on Japan. The museum holds over 110,000 objects, which includes 87 Japanese National Treasure...
in Tokyo, Japan on 22 January 2007. - attending the funeral of Malietoa Tanumafili II of SamoaSamoaSamoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, 19 May 2007 - attending the re-opening of the marae/war memorial hall in Ngaiotonga, WhangaruruWhangaruruWhangaruru is a locality and harbour on the east coast of Northland, New Zealand. Whangarei is to the south and the Bay of Islands to the northwest....
2007 - attending the opening of the Māori garden in HamiltonHamilton- Australia :* Hamilton, New South Wales, suburb of Newcastle** Hamilton railway station, New South Wales* Hamilton, Queensland, suburb of Brisbane* Hamilton, South Australia* Hamilton, Tasmania* Hamilton, Victoria* Hamilton Island, Queensland- Canada :...
gardens, 2008.
Political issues
In March 2010, the King threatened to abdicate his title if tribal members "do not fall back into line." He made the announcement after members of the tribe's parliament, Te Kauhanganui, questioned his use of tribal funds and his choice of company directors. His office denied that he mentioned abdication. At the heart of the allegations is the spending of Paki's office which has risen to an annual $1.2 million compared to $250,000 under his mother, with much of the spending going on travel. The funds are provided by Tainui, which has assets worth more than $600 million.In December 2010 he attempted to sack the Te Kauhanganui chairperson Tania Martin, Hiiona Marae's elected representative on Te Kauhanganui in connection with a report which she tabled detailing financial issues, however, the constitutional rules of Tainui's Parliament only allow for Te Kauhanganui itself to elect or remove its chairperson. As of January 2011, Mrs Martin remains the chairperson of Te Kauhanganui, having been reaffirmed by a vote.
In March 2011, issues arose over travel expenses for Te Makau Ariki Atawhai and Te Ariki Tamaroa Whatumoana, Paki's consort and son.
In June 2011, David Rankin of the Ngāpuhi
Ngapuhi
Ngāpuhi is a Māori iwi located in the Northland region of New Zealand, and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands and Whāngārei.Ngāpuhi has the largest affiliation of any New Zealand iwi, with 122,214 people registered , and formed from 150 hapu, with 55 marae.-Foundations:The founding...
iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
attacked both Paki and the Governments' use of the term Māori King to describe him, saying that not only had tribes such as Ngāpuhi
Ngapuhi
Ngāpuhi is a Māori iwi located in the Northland region of New Zealand, and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands and Whāngārei.Ngāpuhi has the largest affiliation of any New Zealand iwi, with 122,214 people registered , and formed from 150 hapu, with 55 marae.-Foundations:The founding...
never supported the kingitanga movement
Maori King Movement
The Māori King Movement or Kīngitanga is a movement that arose among some of the Māori tribes of New Zealand in the central North Island ,in the 1850s, to establish a role similar in status to that of the monarch of the colonising people, the British, as a way of halting the alienation of Māori land...
, but that Paki didn't even speak te reo Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
.