The passing of Henare Whitu Kingi marks the end of an era for Māori broadcasting, with tributes continuing to acknowledge a man whose voice, leadership and commitment to te reo Māori helped shape the modern Māori media landscape.
His legacy will be remembered in an interview with Māori broadcasting pioneer Piripi Walker, a founding figure at Te Upoko o Te Ika, who worked alongside Kingi during many of the station’s formative years.
Henare Kingi spent 25 years behind the microphone at Te Upoko o Te Ika, becoming one of the country’s most respected broadcasters and a familiar voice for generations of listeners. His calm presence, deep cultural knowledge and unwavering commitment to te reo Māori earned him the trust of whānau throughout Aotearoa.
Beyond his broadcasting career, Kingi played a significant role in the revitalisation of te reo Māori through radio, helping establish Māori broadcasting as a platform for language, culture, news and identity during a period of major change.
His influence extended well beyond the studio. He was widely regarded as a mentor, kaumātua, interviewer and cultural adviser, supporting countless emerging broadcasters while ensuring Māori values remained at the heart of journalism and storytelling.
The discussion with Walker reflects on Kingi’s contribution to Te Upoko o Te Ika and the wider Māori media movement, examining how his leadership helped lay the foundations for today’s network of iwi radio stations, Māori television and expanding digital Māori media.
As Māori broadcasting continues to evolve across radio, television, podcasts and online platforms, Kingi’s career offers enduring lessons about integrity, service to community, respect for tikanga and the responsibility of protecting and promoting te reo Māori.
His work demonstrated that broadcasting could be far more than entertainment, serving instead as a powerful vehicle for language revitalisation, cultural transmission and strengthening connections between whānau, hapū and iwi.
For many within the industry, Henare Whitu Kingi will be remembered not only as one of Māori broadcasting’s finest voices, but also as a leader whose generosity, humility and dedication helped inspire generations of journalists and broadcasters to follow in his footsteps.
His contribution leaves an enduring legacy that continues to shape Māori media today and will remain part of its history for generations to come.
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