Obituaries — Hon Sir Toke Talagi

I move that this House express its sadness at the passing of the former Premier of—

💬 SPEAKER: The member—seeking leave.

I seek leave to move a motion without notice that this House express its sadness at the passing of the former Premier of Niue Hon Sir Toke Talagi, who passed away on 15 July, and place on record its gratitude for the contribution that he made to the self-governing State of Niue, including overseeing a resurgence of the Niuean language and culture and furthering the interests of the Realm of New Zealand in the Pacific region.

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

I move, That this House express its sadness at the passing of the former Premier of Niue Hon Sir Toke Talagi, who passed away on 15 July, and place on record its gratitude for the contribution that he made to the self-governing State of Niue, including overseeing a resurgence of the Niuean language and culture and furthering the interests of the Realm of New Zealand in the Pacific region.

Fakaalofa lahi atu. We take this opportunity to convey our deep sympathy to the family of the Hon Sir Toke Talagi and to the people of Niue. Sir Toke passed away on 15 July in Niue, aged 69. He was first elected to Niue’s assembly in 1999 and in 2008 was elected the Premier of Niue, serving four terms until May 2020. Within weeks of taking office in 2008, he took up the chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, and, across the years, he became an elder statesman of the Pacific, as well as a great friend to New Zealand. Sir Toke will be remembered for his life-long commitment to safeguarding Niue’s future security and prosperity, as demonstrated by his steadfast championing of sustainable economic development, education, and the protection of Niue’s taonga. In 2017, he was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in recognition of his many years of service to Niue and to the Realm.

Sir Toke will be laid to rest on Monday, 27 July, and our thoughts are with Lady Talagi, the extended Talagi family, the people of his village of Alofi, and all Niueans, wherever they may be. Monuina haau a fenoga ke he kautu he Atua.

On behalf of the National Party we join with the New Zealand Parliament in giving our condolences and sympathies to Lady Emeline and also the Talagi family.

Fakaalofa lahi atu ke he motu ko Niue. Fakaalofa lahi atu kia Lady Fifita Talagi mo e fanau. Lahi e momoko he logona mai kua okioki taha matua Lilifu he motu ko Niue, Hon Sir Toke Tufukia Talagi. Monuina e fenoga ma matua. Kia fakamonuina he Atua a mutolu oti ma Niue.

Born in Alofi in 1951, Toke Tufukia Talagi was also educated in Tufukia School in Niue and then came to New Zealand, to Nelson College in New Zealand. He studied at Massey University at Palmerston North where he completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science. While there he was also elected president of the Pacific Islands Students Association and organised protests against nuclear testing and racial discrimination; some would say thus began his political career.

He was elected to the Niue Assembly in 1999 and was immediately appointed an Associate Minister with responsibilities for economic development and civil aviation. As finance Minister he was also responsible for the managing of the recovery of Cyclone Heta and was the subject of public criticism over the distribution—but made a huge contribution to the recovery plans.

As Premier he was elected in June of 2008 on the 19th and he continued to progress relations with China and also negotiated with New Zealand for greater control of aid funding with those negotiations, which were successful. He was a major driver developing policies that would develop Niue as a greater economic independence power within the Pacific region. He was knighted in 2017 in the New Year honours for his investiture over here in Niue and also too in New Zealand, and for his support.

Some commentary has said that he was a controversial figure. He will be remembered as one of the greatest advocates of Niue—others have said this. I think Toke was one of the most unusual Niueans. He was determined. He built himself a business enterprise from nothing, and yet he was one of the strongest advocates for its people and for its country. He was always creative and fighting fiercely in many situations.

I can remember on many occasions on these Pacific missions where he would welcome us warmly and then at the same time, too, he would give us a sharp rebuke about the things that we could do more for Niue. So he truly was a son of the Pacific. It is said that his passion was the promotion of Niuean language and education of our young people and the future leaders of Niue.

A true son of the Pacific, now that your light has gone from this earth, may you continue to shine in the stars above your beloved Niue as a beacon of hope, of inspiration to all people in Niue and around the world.

As Foreign Minister, we would like to express our sympathy and extend our condolences to the people of Niue regarding the passing of Sir Toke Talagi, and place on record our appreciation for the contribution he made to the advancement of Niue and the wider Pacific region.

Sir Toke served as a Minister first, and then as dedicated premier of Niue from 2008 to 2020, the second-longest serving Premier in Niue’s history. Over this 12-year period, he made a serious contribution to Niue’s progress, including by serving as Niue’s Foreign Minister. He was deeply respected across the Pacific Islands region, shaping Niue’s external engagement not only with New Zealand but throughout the Pacific and around the globe, and his legacy within the Pacific Islands region includes establishing Niue as one of the founding members of the Polynesian Leaders Group.

On a personal level, he was not the easiest man to deal with. In fact, in our first meeting, when I was the Treasurer of this country and he was the third Minister in their cabinet, we had a bit of a contretemps, so to speak, on how my country should be regarded after all its decades of assistance to the Islands. But we got over that, and—let me say—that’s an admirable thing. He always put, Sir Toke, the people of Niue first. So our thoughts and sympathies are with the people of Niue and his family at this difficult time. He has been a standout figure and, for many of us, he will be someone we remember with mixed but enduring affection.

E Te Māngai o Te Whare, fakaalofa lahi atu ki a koe. The Green Party extends its support to the Prime Minister’s motion, wishing love and our condolences to the former Niue Premier, Sir Toke Talagi.

I noted with interest that he was elected president of the Pacific Islands students association and organised protests against nuclear testing and racial discrimination while he was using his time studying for a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Massey University.

I also noted with interest that he campaigned and advocated strong and hard for more sustainable use of renewable energy. People of his beloved Niue and his beloved Alofi have talked about him being always creative; that he always wanted to find creative ways to fiercely protect Niue and Niueans—the mana motuhake, as we like to say, or their sovereignty and independence. People have talked about being remembered for his transformation, especially in the tourism sector in Niue, and I note with my colleague that he was also passionate about the promotion of the Niuean language.

Our thoughts, too, are with the people of Alofi and Niue, and I finish with a tribute to his advocacy and recognition of the impact of climate change across the whole entire Pacific region. He was very clear in his advocacy that “We stuffed up. It’s hard for us in the Pacific to think about anything beyond climate change, [that] every morning there’s a chance that water will be lapping in and in our houses.” I acknowledge the legacy and the continued work that we all have accountability to. Thank you.

I’d like to join with other leaders, on behalf of ACT, in tribute and commemoration of Sir Toke Talagi and his tremendous leadership of Niue, and the people of Niue. I was fortunate enough to visit Niue for a week last July, and gained an appreciation of what a unique society it is, with some incredibly warm, thoughtful people, and some great challenges. I was able to see how, under the leadership of their Government over the past decade or so, they have overcome so many challenges and developed so well. I also got an appreciation of how important Niue is to New Zealand and, indeed, all of our Pacific friends, around whom it’s critical we wrap our arms first, because our relationships with our Pacific neighbours are our first and most important geopolitical relationship. I know that in such a small community, people will be sensing deeply the loss of such a strong leader who had led them for so long. I think it’s absolutely appropriate that, as the House of Representatives of New Zealand, we take the time to acknowledge their loss and reaffirm our friendship with all of the people of Niue. I commend this motion to the House. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Motion agreed to.