No matou o Te Hāhi Mihinare ki runga i te ngakau aroha mo Kingi Tuheitia, mo Te Makau Ariki, me te Whare katoa o Te Kahui Ariki
“He mea utu nui ki tā Ihowā titiro te matenga o tāna hunga tapu” – Ngā Waiata 116.15
Papa te whaititiri, hikohiko te uira. Kua maturuturu te ua marangai ki runga i te mata o te whenua, rite tonu ki te wai o ngā kamo huri noa te ao i to ngarohanga. Ko ngā roimata me ngā mōteatea o
te ngākau e tihaehaetia nei e te mamae mutunga kore mōhau, e te Arikinui, kua whakamanuhiritia nei e ngā mana kai te pō. Haere, e te Kı̄ngi, ki te huinga o te Kahurangi, ki o mana, ki o tapu, me o wehi. Whoatu. Ka mahue mokemoke ngā hurihanga kai roto o Aotearoa me te ao whānui i tō haerenga.
Today, Te Pı̄hopatanga o Aotearoa and I join people across the world mourning the loss and honouring the life of Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII.
His passing is heartbreaking, and my deepest condolences and aroha to Makau Ariki Te Atawhai, his children, whānau, and iwi at this very difficult time.
Kiingi Tuheitia was a unifying voice for te iwi Māori, especially in challenging times. In his recent Koroneihana speech, he implored us to work together in the spirit of Kotahitanga as he believed in a brighter future for Māori. In the face of hate, we must love. A tono most of us watching wholeheartedly accepted.
Kiingi Tuheitia was a prominent and beloved figure in te ao Māori and international indigenous communities. His stoic leadership exemplified the mana and tapu of his esteemed tı̄puna. Like many of us, I am deeply humbled to call him a dear friend and eternally grateful for all the moments we shared.
E te Ariki homai ki a ia te okiokinga mutungakore, ā, kia tiaho mai te mārama pūmau i runga i a ia.
He Īnoi mō Te Matenga o Te Kı̄ngi
E te Atua Kaha Rawa, ora tonu,
te kaihāpai, te kaiwhakahaere o ngā mea katoa,
i te rangi, i te whenua;
mā tōu atawhai anake ka tū te Kı̄ngitanga mō mātau.
Ka whakamoemititia koe mō ngā manaakitanga kua whiwhia e mātau mai i a te Arikinui, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, kua karangatia ki a koe inātata nei.
Ka whakamoemititia koe mō te whakaaronui o āna tohutohu me tōna aroha pūmau mō te maungārongo, mō tōna kaha ki te mahi ki ngā iwi katoa me te tauira o tana oranga.
Whakakı̄a ō mātau ngākau i te whakawhetai mō ēnei mea pai katoa, ā, whakakahangia mātau kia whai tonu i tana tauira kia mea i tāu e pai ai mō te oranga ake o te iwi Māori, nei rā o te ao, ā kia whai korōria ai tōu Ingoa Tapu; ko Ihu Karaiti hoki tō mātau Ariki. Amine.
Nāku nei i runga i te aroha o Te Karaiti,
++Don Tamihere
Bishop of Tairāwhiti
Bishop of Aotearoa
Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia