VIGIL IN AUCKLAND FOR FORMIDABLE PRINCESS
A vigil for the royal funeral of the late Princess Mele Siuilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili will be held at Morrison Funeral Director’s Home in Henderson, Auckland starting 7pm tonight (31st May.)
This will be a final wake with friends, family and the Pacific Island, Maori, and New Zealand community before embarking on the final journey to her resting place in Tonga.
After tonight’s service, the royal funeral will proceed to Tonga for final vigil on Friday night before laid to rest on Saturday (3rd May) in the Malaekula Royal Tombs in Nuku’alofa.
The late Princess was a great pioneer for women and political inclusion. She was the first female representative to be elected into Parliament by popular vote in 1975 after women were granted the vote and candidacy in 1951 in Tonga.
She’s also been an advocate for sound moral foundations in the upbringing of children and for strong healthy families.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed his condolences after the Tongan Princess who accepted the NZ Government’s Dawn Raids apology passed away in an Auckland Hospital.
Princess Siu’ilikutapu passed peacefully early on Sunday morning surrounded by her family. She was known as a formidable leader and proud advocate for women.
Hipkins said New Zealand sends its “heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time of profound grief and loss”.
Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs (Pacific Region) Carmel Sepuloni said her thoughts are with the Princess’s family.
NewshubNZ reports Sepuloni’s sentiments on Princess Siuilikutapu’s legacy:
“Her legacy as the first woman to be elected to Tonga’s Parliament and later as Deputy President of the National Women’s Organisation lives on in many Tongan women today, as does the artistry and traditional skills of Tongan culture through her work as President of the Langafonua Gallery and Handicrafts Centre,” Sepuloni said.
“I recall Princess Mele’s emotional and powerful speech during the Dawn Raids Apology in 2021. Her gracious and heartfelt words left all of us feeling the full weight of the trauma of the past and, simultaneously, the joy of forgiveness and enduring friendship. Her loss will be felt deeply by many in Tonga, Aotearoa and across the world.”
Minister Sepuloni said Tonga is a “very close friend of ours, and my recent visit to Tonga emphasised to me the strength of our relationship, the connections between our people, and the values that we share”.
We stand together with our Tongan kāinga and communities both abroad and here in Aotearoa New Zealand,” she said.
“My thoughts are with Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Sui’ilikutapu’s family, and with the Government and people of Tonga. Our aroha, our love, is with you all,” Carmel Sepuloni said.
