Former Niue Premier and army veteran Sani Lakatani remembered for lifetime of service

Former Niue Premier and New Zealand Army veteran Sani Elia Lagigietama Lakatani is being remembered as a principled leader whose life of service spanned the military, politics, and family.

Lakatani, who served as Premier of Niue from 1999 to 2002 and played a leading role in the country’s politics for more than a decade, died on Saturday in Wellington aged 89.

Niue’s Prime Minister Dalton Tagelai said the government was deeply saddened by his passing.

“We honour his service and his commitment to our people,” Tagelagi said in a social media post. “A leader who guided our country with conviction and a deep sense of duty.

“His dedication to advancing Niue’s interests has left a lasting legacy. May he rest in peace, and may his contributions continue to inspire future generations of Niuean leaders.”

Born and raised in Niue, Lakatani moved to Aotearoa New Zealand at the age of 18.

In 1956, he was conscripted into the New Zealand Army, serving with the Ranfurly Battalion before being posted to Malaya.

He married Elizabeth (Betty) Genevieve Lauaki Viva Lakatani in 1966, before being posted to Vietnam in 1967 with W2 Company of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment.

In a 2020 interview with Auckland Museum, Lakatani recalled his time training in Fiji before deployment. This included negotiating with a local army major to take taro and bananas back to Christchurch, a rare treat at the time.

After retiring from the army in 1978, Lakatani returned to Niue where he turned his focus to public service.

He entered politics with a strong belief in self-determination and deployment for the island. He later became the leader of the Niue People’s Party and served as Premier from 1999 to 2002.

His family say he always intended to return home and contribute to his country.

“He always knew he’d be coming back to do something for his country,” his eldest daughter, Gaylene Wilson, told Pacific Mornings host William Terite. “He had a vision that he truly believed would enrich our nation for all the generations to come.”

To his family, he was also a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. His grand-daughter, Rebecca Wilson, who cared for him in his final years, remembers him as disciplined but warm - a “strong, handsome, beautiful man”.

“At home, he was Grandad,” she tells Terite. “He was a drill sergeant with time, very punctual. He was so funny, he loved to sing, he loved to share stories about his time growing up in Niue, meeting our Nana, having children.”

Family was central to Lakatani’s life. Gaylene recalls him giving up smoking before the birth of his first child so he could save money for a pram. She adds it was a decision that reflected his strong sense of responsibility.

“One of his main principles was making sure his family was provided for,” she says. “Education was really important to him. He wanted us to have every opportunity.”

In later years, Lakatani began writing a book reflecting on his life, military service, and political journey.

“For us as a family … it is his biggest legacy that he has left,” Gaylene says. “You can feel his passion, his love for his nation, his hurt when you read that book.”

Funeral services will be held in Wellington on Wednesday, 21 January at PIC Porirua, Cannons Creek, at 6pm. An Auckland service will follow at Newton PIC on Tuesday, 27 January, with the time to be confirmed.

Lakatani’s body will be returned to Niue where he will be laid to rest in his home village of Tuapa.

Listen to Gaylene Wilson's full interview below.