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Hon Minister Tukuitoga Launches Pulou Niue in Auckland
 

“It was meant to be a small affair between Taoga Niue and the Niueans living abroad, to display their talents in hat making, but somehow it developed into a big Hat Party; a kind-of organised mayhem. Yet it is so fitting that we celebrate the talents of our women and as Minister for Taoga Niue, I am happy and privileged to be here today on this auspicious occasion,” Hon Va’ainga Tukuitonga told her people at Hillary College Hall last Saturday.

During the course of the celebration, special visitors, Pacific Leaders fresh from the Forum in Papua New Guinea, visited the Pulou Niue launching added much needed impetus and interest to a spirited throng who have been singing and waving their hats in a gesture of glorious jubilation.  The arrival of President Oscar Temaru of French Polynesia provided an international and regional profile to the occassion. “Nowhere else in the Pacific are the people more free,” he told the happy crowd. “I hope that you will always remain that way.” President Temaru had also been to Niue two weeks earlier to celebrate the nation state’s 31st Constitution and he should know.

The arrival of the special guest, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Rt Hon Helen Clark, brought joy to the crowd.  “You re beautiful and your hats are beautiful,” she told the women. “If you can maintain this much enthusiasm with the other sectors of your Taoga Niue, then you will achieve something enduring of your heritage and I congratulate you.” The Prime Minister is, of course, a prime supporter of Taoga Niue which earlier this year, under Minister Hon Toke Talagi, declared 2005 the Year of Vagahau Niue [Niuean Language.] The Hat Parade was the second segment of our Taoga Niue which was reaffirmed in Auckland after the initial official launching in Niue two weeks earlier.   

The real talent in the making of a Niue hat is in the way a weaver manages to weave her own signature into her creation and there is always a surety that every hat made by a Niuean weaver is distinctly different from the other.  Hats perform different functions.  One of the most valued uses is that by the fisher-folks when they go fishing and the hat is used for shade and spare hooks.

Premier Vivian who made a special point not to miss out on the Pulou Niue event after the Forum meeting was very happy with the success of the event. “I love the way our tupuna and our mokopuna wear their hats. I am absolutely delighted with the response our people have made today to show that they can still produce hats while living thousands of miles away from their traditional homeland.”

Mrs Brenda Cottingham, President of the New Zealand Pulou Niue, was also delighted with the event. “I had no idea that Pulou Niue would be as successful as it did. I am determined that it will be maintained for as long as I am around”. Brenda has spent the past ten months travelling the country, including two trips to Niue searching for the perfect Niuean hat for her Pulou Niue exhibition. “I am sure that no such hat exists,” she finally admitted. “They are all perfect.”

“The success of Pulou Niue in Auckland, just as it did in Niue, exceeded my expectations,” Moira Enetama, Manager of Taoga Niue Office in Niue said last Saturday. “Not because of what we did, but most important of all, that you brought your traditional hat makers and your children to take part in this event. I thank you and Taoga Niue thanks you.”

The quest for the top hat did not eventuate as planned which is just as well, according to Brenda, for there was no hat that was better than the others. Niuean hat weavers revel and excel in their art as a matter of pride. All that is needed from now on is to make sure that young children are taught the art of weaving before the surviving tupuna take their talents with them to their graves.          

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