Kingi Kiriona is a respected Māori leader with an extensive background in cultural development, leading large-scale initiatives nationally across education, health, broadcasting, and infrastructure sectors.

He is a strong advocate of the Kīngitanga as a means for unifying and empowering Māori to determine a future that is led by Māori, for the benefit of all.

In 2025, Kingi was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal. He also served as the Deputy Chair of the NZ Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency, Te Māngai Pāho, following three terms as Board Director of Whakaata Māori (formerly Māori Television). He was formerly a journalist for TVNZ.

Kingi is also co-founder of TupuOra, a privately-owned provider of te reo Māori and Māori education to whānau throughout Aotearoa and Australia.

Kingi served as Deputy Chief Executive - Mātauranga Māori with the Māori Health Authority, Te Aka Whai Ora.

Kingi credits his ability to work and lead in service of Māori and the wider public good to his experiences as a father, as a graduate of Kōhanga Reo and Te Panekiretanga, as a tutor of renown kapahaka Te Iti Kahurangi, and as a pillar for his whānau, marae, hapū and iwi.

Throughout his journey, Kingi is driven by the power of nurturing potential, and the importance of empowering people, particularly rangatahi, to empower others.