More than friends, but whānau – that’s the recurring message from Māori to Pacific people on the third day of Koroneihana.
This comes as delegates and community members from across the Pacific gathered at Tūrangawaewae marae today, honouring reigning Māori Queen Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po.
Year after year, Koroneihana serves as a meeting point for Māori and the wider Pacific, bringing together leaders and community representatives from all over the Moana.
Kiingitanga spokesperson Rahui Papa said those longstanding and special relationships continue to underpin the connection between Māori and their Pacific neighbours.
Rahui Papa
Coco Lance
Many Pacific peoples call Aotearoa home, and so it’s a priority for those relationships to be nurtured, Papa said.
“There’s a lot of our whānau from the Pacific. They live here in Aotearoa, and there’s a whole lot of relationships that have been built up over many years,” he said.
“So, I think it’s going to be more about grounding the relationship first, and then those pieces of work can flow from that foundation.”
Speaking on the paepae, Papa emphasised that the attendance of Fiji’s paramount chief of Lau Province, Ratu Tevita Kapaiwai Lutunauga Uluilakeba Mara, and Tonga’s Princess Lātūfuipeka reinforced that bond.
“It’s more than just ‘cousins’ of the Pacific. It’s more, family of the Pacific, tēnā koutou,” Papa said.
That sentiment was echoed by Green Party candidate Michel Mulipola, who said Pacific peoples play a critical role in standing alongside Māori.
“It’s important that we stand with our cousins of the Moana, you know, in solidarity to support them in their rights,” Mulipola said.
Destiny Gagaeolo, Landy Tyrell Nonoa, Jordan Nonoa, Mefi Naufahu
RNZ Pacific
“What’s good for Māori is also good for tangata moana, and so for me it’s very important to be part of these procedures because we need to have that connection, together in solidarity.”
The Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick also spoke about the merits of focussing on commonalities.
“We’re all aware of the things that could divide us,” she said.
“But if we just spend a moment to actually fixate on the things that could bring us together, on the things that are so amazing and beautiful about this country, and we work on building those things up, we’re unstoppable.”
Jordan Nonoa, who spoke on behalf of the Hamilton Pacific Community Association, emphasised the unity.
“Keeping those relationships strong is all part of it. There’s so many moving parts behind it, and for all of us showing up and turning out, we just keep it going, that cycle moving forward.”
Pacific community at Koroneihana
Coco Lance
The same message was reflected among many Pasifika rangatahi and community leaders.
Sister Funaki, a youth representative from Tonga, said the sense of connection across the Pacific was impossible to miss.
“One of the things I love about today, similar to all the cultures in the South Pacific, we’re all from one moana, is the love, the warmth and the joy that everyone brings here today in support of the Māori Queen,” Funaki said.
Performer Rayna Folau, who was representing Pacific Advance Secondary School, said attending Koroneihana was also about carrying those relationships into the future.
“I believe it’s really important to come to events like this, because we are the youth and the future generation for events like this, so I just feel really grateful,” Folau said.
Kaiako from Pacific Advance Secondary School
RNZ Pacific
Her kaiako, Petuleka Malelei, said the presence of young Pasifika was a sign those connections would endure.
“It’s important they are here,” Malelei said.
“We as a Pacific voice want to make sure our presence is always felt, in support of the Kiingitanga and the movement, and all the projects that happen under te ao Māori, that the moana is always in presence and support.”
Community member Vai Filimoehala was among those representing Tonga.
Alongside colleagues, she presented a tapa as koha, a piece handcrafted by members of her community back home.
Representing the Tongan royal family, Filimoehala said the gift carried deep significance.
The tapa featured a crown motif and Tonga’s royal shield and was made collectively by women in her village.
“It was made back in my village by my grandmothers, aunties and them. It takes a village to make it,” she said.
Community member Vai Filimoehala
RNZ Pacific
Attention now turns to tomorrow’s annual address from the Māori Queen, with thousands expected to gather for one of the event’s most anticipated moments.
