Masters · Karma Kagyu · New Zealand
Pong Re Rinpoche: The New Zealand-Born Tulku
Born in Auckland in the early 1990s, recognised as a reincarnate Tibetan master as a small child, raised through twenty years of monastic training in India. Pong Re Rinpoche is the first recognised tulku born in New Zealand — and in 2026 he made his first visit to Bhutan to offer a chorten to Project 108. He will be in Gelephu from 1 to 4 November.
In Gelephu · 1–4 November 2026
Updated 1 October 2026 · 3 min read
In Tibetan Buddhism a tulku is a recognised reincarnation of a deceased master, identified — usually as a child — by a senior teacher of the lineage and trained to continue the predecessor’s work. For centuries almost all tulkus were found in Tibet and the Himalaya. Pong Re Rinpoche was found in New Zealand.
Auckland to Sherab Ling
Pong Re Rinpoche — Karma Kunsang by birth name — was born in Auckland in the early 1990s and grew up north of the city. In 1999, at Sherab Ling Monastery in northern India, the 12th Tai Situ Rinpoche, one of the most senior masters of the Karma Kagyu, recognised the young boy as the reincarnation of a Kagyu master of eastern Tibet who had died in the 1950s — in a lineage connected with Palpung, the Tai Situpas’ historic seat. He is described as the first recognised tulku born in New Zealand.
He left primary school in Auckland for some twenty years of monastic training at Palpung Sherab Ling. At ten he returned home to give an empowerment in Wellington. From fifteen he completed the traditional retreat of three years and three months that marks a Kagyu teacher’s formation.
Teaching and work
Today he teaches internationally and leads Kunjung, an initiative of his foundation running Dharma teachings, environmental projects, temple restoration and education programmes in the Himalaya. In 2021 he was named in the Hindustan Times 30 Under 30 in the category of spirituality.
In Bhutan
In 2026 Pong Re Rinpoche made his first visit to Bhutan and offered one Jangchub Chorten to Project 108, calling it a unique vision and a powerful expression of what people can achieve when they stand together. As a New Zealander, he dedicated the offering in part to the wellbeing of his home country. He will be in Gelephu for the gathering from 1 to 4 November. The prayers and rituals in Gelephu are led by His Holiness the Je Khenpo, Bhutan’s Chief Abbot. The full list of masters is in Project 108 Masters.