New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was bestowed the Tuisinavemauluomoto’otua title in Apia on Monday after the Samoan Government moved to correct earlier claims that he had asked for it. Before the ceremony, Samoa said neither Luxon nor his representatives had requested the honour and described the bestowal as a traditional courtesy extended to visiting leaders.
The issue had already become a public controversy before Luxon arrived. Earlier reports said Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt had stated that Luxon asked for a matai title and that the request came through New Zealand’s High Commissioner. Luxon’s office denied that, and Samoa later withdrew the claim.
The title also drew objections from members of the To’omalatai and Seumanutafa families of Apia. A letter was sent to the Lands and Titles Court seeking to stop the bestowal, while Seumanutafa descendants separately objected to the use of the Ulumoto’otuamasinave component in the title. Later reporting indicated the ceremony still went ahead, with some family members protesting by staying away and others seeking legal advice.
Despite the objections and the confusion over how the honour arose, the ceremony proceeded in front of the Government Building. The visit itself also carried a ceremonial warmth. Luxon inspected the Samoa Royal Guard during the Guard of Honour and flag-raising ceremony before moving into the ava ceremony and title bestowal, and appeared at ease in a setting that contrasted with the faster political pace more familiar in New Zealand and Australia.
Asked about the matter later in the day, Luxon said it had been a miscommunication and signalled he was ready to move on. By then, a visit meant to focus on bilateral ties had also come to reflect the sensitivities around protocol, custom and language when politics and culture meet in public.
