Obituaries — Rt Hon ‘Akilisi Pōhiva

I seek leave to move a motion without notice on the passing of the Rt Hon ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, the Prime Minister of Tonga.

💬 SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that? There appears to be none.

I move, That this House express its sadness at the passing of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga, Rt Hon ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, who passed away earlier today, Thursday, 12 September 2019, and place on record its gratitude for the contribution that he has made to the Kingdom of Tonga and to furthering the interests of the Pacific region.

Further, we convey deep sympathy to the Rt Hon ‘Akilisi Pōhiva’s family and to the people of the Kingdom of Tonga. The Rt Hon ‘Akilisi Pōhiva passed away this morning in Auckland aged 78 after having been medevaced to New Zealand yesterday. We extend our condolences to his family and to the people of Tonga. Prime Minister Pōhiva was an elder statesman of the Pacific and a great friend to New Zealand. I’ve just been told that he was the longest serving member of Parliament in Tonga, some 32 years.

He’ll be remembered for his lifelong commitment to championing democracy. He was always committed to broadening democracy and contributed much of his life to this cause, and for that reason was a standout figure in the Pacific. He was also a powerful advocate for Pacific regionalism, demonstrated at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Tuvalu, where he advocated for climate change action and regional solidarity. Our thoughts are with the people of Tonga and the extended Pōhiva family.

I too on behalf of the National Party want to speak to this notice of motion and give our condolences to not only the Pōhiva family but also the Kingdom of Tonga. ‘Akilisi Pōhiva was a man that was born on 17 April 1941 and lived his life until today, in which he passed away. He was a Tongan pro-democracy activist and politician and had quite a significant and substantial life in leading the democratic rule of Government in Tonga itself. He was the leader of the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands and served as Prime Minister of Tonga from 2014 to his death in 2019 of today. He was only the fourth commoner to serve as a Prime Minister, after a number of other distinguished members of Parliament and Prime Ministers as well.

Pōhiva was not only the longest-serving people’s representative of Tonga in the Tongan Parliament, having first served since elected in 1987, he also, too, had quite a substantial political career, and it was marked by constant battles with the Tongan democracy and monarchy and transparency issues. In 1996, he was imprisoned for contempt of Parliament on the order of Legislative Assembly for reporting on parliamentary proceedings.

Mr Speaker, and to the House, he was an advocate, he was an activist, but more importantly he was a person and a man who was standing for the rights and the democracy of a nation. So we want to honour and acknowledge him in this House. I finish by reciting a Tongan proverb that states this: Mapaki e faa ka ‘oku kei ‘alaha. “The pandanus nut breaks from the tree, yet its aroma lingers.” It reflects the legacy that he leaves behind, not only for his family, not only for the Kingdom of Tonga, but the whole of the Pacific region, and we acknowledge his passing today.

E kara. E te rangatira, e Pōhiva, ka riro koe ki tawhiti nui, ki tawhiti roa, ki tawhiti pāmamao ki tua o te ārai. Haere atu. Moe atu. Ka whakarērea mai e koe he tauira hei whai mā te marea i roto i ngā moemoeā. I pau i a koe tō kaha katoa ki te whakatutuki kia mana ai te marea ki waenga tonu i ngā motu me te rangatiratanga kei tō motu, a Tonga. Nā reira, e kara, e moe, moe oti atu e.

[Sir. The leader, Pōhiva, you have been taken afar to beyond the veil. Go peacefully. Rest in peace. You have left behind an example to the many in your tireless pursuit of democracy for your general public and independence for your island of Tonga. Therefore, my friend, rest easy, rest in peace.]

I rise very briefly on behalf of New Zealand First to acknowledge the passing of the Rt Hon ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, someone I worked with, someone my leader knew very well. Let us not forget, although this man was of ill health in more recent years, for Tongan reform, for democracy, no light burned brighter than this man. Not only did he face charges of treason, not only was he harassed for his beliefs; in the end, he rose to be the Prime Minister and brought a level of equity to the political culture of Tonga. He was very proud. He advocated for the Pacific and the Polynesian community more broadly in a range of both Pacific and international fora. Today, New Zealand has lost a great friend.

He mihi aroha tēnei ki a ia Te Pirimia o Tonga, ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, me tana whānau, tana wahine a Neomai Pōhiva, me āna tamariki katoa. Nō reira, kei te mihi, kei te mihi, kei te mihi. Haere atu rā ki ngā whetū, ki ngā tūpuna.

He tangata kaha tēnei ki te tū ki te tautoko mō te manapori, mō te Paremata, mō ngā tāngata.

He tangata kaha tēnei, i haere ia ki te whare herehere mō te mahi tutū ana te puehu, nō reira, he tangata māhaki ia mō āna hapori, he tangata tū kaha ki te whawhai mō ngā whenua, mō ngā moutere o te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, o ana moutere o Tonga. Nō reira, e mihi ana te whānau o ngā Kākāriki ki a rātou, ki a tātou, aku hoa kaimahi nō Tonga, ki ngā hapori o Tonga kei kōnei ki Aotearoa.

Tēnei tangata māhaki tangata kaha; tēnei tangata e tū ana ki te taha o ngā mokopuna, ngā reanga kei te haere mai ki te tiaki i te whenua, i te moana hoki, mā rātou ngā reanga. Nō reira, he mihi pono, he mihi; nōku te honore ki te mihi aroha ki a ia, ki a rātou hoki. Kia ora.

[I pass on my condolences to the Prime Minister of Tonga, ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, and his family, his wife, Neomai Pōhiva, and all of his children. So, my condolences. Go to the stars, go to the ancestors.

He is man who stood up for democracy, for Parliament, for people.

He was a strong man, he went to jail because of his protest, alas, he was a man who cared deeply for his community, he stood strong in the fight for land, for the islands of the Pacific and for his islands of Tonga. Therefore, the Green family acknowledge them and my work colleagues from Tonga, as well as the community of Tonga right here in New Zealand.

This caring man, strong man; this man who stood alongside grandchildren, the generation that has come to protect the land, protect the seas, by them, the generations. Finally, my sincere condolences; it is an honour of mine to pass my condolences to him and to all. Thank you.]

On behalf of the ACT Party I’d like to join with other leaders in acknowledging the sad passing of ‘Akilisi Pōhiva. I think any brave pioneer of parliamentary democracy such as him is well deserving of the recognition of this House, particularly when he did that pioneering in a Pacific country that is a close, important friend and neighbour of New Zealand. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and with the people of Tonga. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Motion agreed to.