Tuvalu PM returns to former school during NZ visit, with focus on leadership and climate

Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo is in New Zealand for his first official visit since being elected in 2024.

The tour combines high-level diplomacy with a personal return to the school that helped shape him.

Ahead of a planned meeting with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Thursday, where the pair are expected to sign a refreshed statement of partnership, Teo visited his former high school, St Andrew’s College in Christchurch, on Wednesday.

Teo has only been a politician for two years, the same amount of time he spent at St Andrew’s.

“Those were the first years I spent outside of Tuvalu, having lived in Tuvalu for all my life,” Teo told PMN News.

“It was quite eye-opening. It set me in the right direction for my future years, because I've now travelled the world.”

Feleti Teo was the 1982 dux of St Andrews College. Photo/Supplied/St Andrews College

The visit comes as Tuvalu looks to strengthen its relationship with Aotearoa, with climate change and development support expected to feature prominently in bilateral talks.

Teo is the second Prime Minister of Tuvalu to have attended the college, the first being the late Sir Toaripi Lauti. St Andrew’s was among the first schools to join the Island Territories Education Scheme in 1947, which provided opportunities for young Pacific Island students to study in New Zealand.

Although he only spent two years at the school, Teo became a prefect and dux in 1982. He later became the first Tuvaluan to qualify as a lawyer, being admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.

Feleti Teo was also a prefect pictured front row, far right. Photo/Supplied/St Andrews College

“Those first two years in St Andrew's built my character and interactions with other races,” he said. “That's the first time that I've come to interact with other people other than Tuvaluan. So I think it put me in good stead for my future interactions with other foreigners.”

During his speech to students, Teo highlighted Tuvalu’s biggest challenge: climate change. Scientists predict that 95 per cent of the island nation will be underwater by 2100.

The issue is expected to be central to his discussions with New Zealand leaders, as Tuvalu continues to push for stronger international support on climate adaptation and resilience.

He also thanked the school for the lessons that went beyond the classroom.

“I think the discipline, being content with your situations, making use of what is available, those trade and values ground you very well in any future leadership that you have.”

Listen to Feleti Teo's most recent interview on Pacific Mornings below.

During his visit, Teo gifted traditional Tuvaluan necklaces to the principal, Mark Wilson, and preparatory school principal Leigh Fowler.

The school visit highlights the personal side of Tuvalu’s relationship with New Zealand, showing how early experiences abroad helped shape the leader navigating the challenges of climate change and international diplomacy.

It also sets the stage for Teo’s meeting with Luxon where a formal statement of partnership between Tuvalu and New Zealand will be signed to strengthen ties ahead of next year’s Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Aotearoa.