Inez Haereata Kingi

Inez Haereata Kingi (; 1 January 1931 – 27 July 2022) was a New Zealand health advocate for Māori people and for women and children. Beginning her career as a dental nurse, Kingi was instrumental in establishing a number of healthcare organisations in Rotorua with a particular focus on Māori and women's health.

Life and career Kingi was born in Ōhinemutu, part of Rotorua, on 1 January 1931. She was the youngest of 12 children. Her mother was part of the iwi (tribe) of Ngāti Whakaue, and her father was English. In 1983, she began working to establish a health centre at Tūnohopū Marae. A centre had been suggested by Ruby Cameron, the founder and first president of the league, who had died in 1971. Te Utuhina Manaakitanga Trust and Tipu Ora later merged to become Manaaki Ora, which continues to provide services in the Rotorua district . In the 2000 New Year Honours, Kingi and her husband were each appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for their services to the community. In the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours, they were each appointed as a Companion of the Queen's Service Order.

Kingi's husband died in 2017, aged 88. In 2013 he had written a book about her life and work titled The Life & Times of Inez Haereata Kingi. Kingi herself died on 27 July 2022, after suffering from dementia for 12 years. On the same day, New Zealand MP Arena Williams acknowledged her death in Parliament. She was described by Radio New Zealand as "Rotorua's queen of Māori health".