Māori Queen welcomed in Fiji to strengthen ancestral bonds ahead of chiefly installation

The Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, was officially welcomed by the Fijian government during a traditional ceremony at the new Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) complex in Suva on Wednesday.

The Māori monarch is in Fiji for the chiefly installation of the Tui Nayau, Tui Lau, Sau ni Vanua ko Lau, which will be held in the village of Tubou, in Lakeba, Lau, on Thursday.

The traditional welcoming ceremony was conducted by the Deputy Chair of the GCC, the Tui Namosi, Ratu Suliano Matanitobua.

A spokesperson for Te Arikinui says the visit reinforces the long-standing ties between Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand, which have persisted for generations.

“Tearikinui Kuini Nngā waihono i te pō’s comes here for another footstep in the relationship that has been there for many, many, many generations,” he says.

“We are the descendants of the navigators of the vast ocean. We are the descendants of the Te Moananui-a-Kiwa, of the great Pacific Ocean.

“Our cousins in Fiji and our cousins in Aotearoa, we all hold the same whakapapa, the genealogical ties.”

He says the Pacific region has lost several great leaders over the past decades, including Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara in 2004, Māori Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu in 2006, Tonga's King Taufa'ahau Tupou in 2006, and Sāmoa’s Malietoa Tanumafili II in 2007.

But he adds that the legacy of these leaders in bringing Pasifika people together serves as a foundation for future relationships within the Pacific.

“Our traditional leadership and our traditions, our customs, our protocols and our practices will see us in good stead as we go forward into a brighter future,” he says.

“When the other side of the globe is in uncertain times, we as Pasifika cousins will remain resolute based on the teachings and customs handed down by our forebears.

“The teachings handed down by our ancestors as we go forward to maintain the Pacific as one whānau, one family unit.”

Te Arikinui Kuini Ngā wai hono i te po at the GCC complex in Suva. Photo/Kiingitanga

The delegation also thanked the Fijians for the warmth and hospitality extended to the Māori Queen, who is leading the group from the royal house at Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia, Waikato.

Te Arikinui will travel to Lakeba for the chiefly installation on Thursday morning.