Tūheitia was patron to Te Matatini, the largest Māori cultural festival, and also of Kirikiriroa Marae in Hamilton.

[12] Following Tūheitia's death in late August 2024, his daughter Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō succeeded him as Māori Queen.

[27] The King also frequently attended the annual 25 January celebrations of the Rātana Church expressing his continued support for all denominations and his deep desire to unify the people.

[28] In 2018, two archbishops of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia visited Tūrangawaewae to join in honouring King Tūheitia and 160 years of the Kīngitanga.

[30][31] In the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, King Tūheitia visited parts of the devastated East Coast across the Ngāti Kahungunu rohe to help rebuild.

[32] The Poukai[33] is an annual series of visits by the Māori King to marae around and beyond the Tainui region, a tradition that dates back to the 19th century.

[35][36] The accord led to the development of "iwi justice panels", and a further partnership with Corrections to build a reintegration centre for incarcerated women who gave birth while in prison.

[38] This approach to restorative justice aims to reduce incarceration rates among Māori, which are among the highest for an indigenous people in the world.

In December 2023, King Tūheitia issued a royal proclamation to hold a national hui (meeting) to promote Māori unity in January 2024.

The hui was in response to the Kīngitanga movement's concerns that the new National-led coalition government's policies towards the Treaty of Waitangi would reverse "decades of hard fought justice.

Key topics expected to be discussed at the hui included the Government's proposals to abolish Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority), roll back the use of the Māori language in the public service, repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022 and review the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

[44][46] During his address, King Tūheitia stated that "the best protest we can do right now is be Māori, be who we are, live our values, speak our reo ['language'], care for our mokopuna ['children'].

While the National, Labour, New Zealand First, Te Pāti Māori and the Greens accepted the invitations extended to their leaders, ACT declined.

At the time of his ascension, Tūheitia was cultural adviser to Te Wānanga and had previously managed its campus in Huntly.

[51] According to Willie Jackson, former Minister of Māori Development, Tūheitia was never groomed to be king, and was given short notice about his ascension in 2006 by his dying mother.

[56] On 30 August 2024, over a week after his eighteenth koroneihana, Tūheitia died while recovering from heart surgery in hospital in Hamilton.

[57] A new monarch, his daughter Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō, was elected by leaders of tribes associated with the Kīngitanga on the day of Tūheitia's funeral.

[59][62] Hemana Manuera was the inaugural chair, and other members included Pou Temara, Sir Toby Curtis, Kihi Ngatai, Mere Broughton and June Mariu.