30th November 2005
Cabinet Report: Miss South Pacific and Miss Niue in Tonga.
Niue’s
Pageant Team assembled in Nuku’alofa on time for the start of the 2005 Miss
South Pacific Pageant with Miss Niue and her chaperones arriving a week earlier
than originally planned. I travelled from Auckland with the 2004 Miss South
Pacific and her chaperone on Saturday afternoon where we were met at Fua’motu
Airport by the members of the Pageant Organising Committee and Miss Tonga, who
provided transport to the International Dateline Hotel where the main Niue Team
were staying. I left to join Mrs Feo Heaki at a Guesthouse where I was to stay
for the next nine days.
There
were seven representatives [Miss Tahiti and her retinue of 14 had arrived two
weeks too early and could not afford to stay for the event so they returned
home.] The contestants from Niue [Miss Leesara Heaki,] Tonga, [Miss Nancye
Maloni] Samoa, Miss Falute Sauvao] American Samoa, [Miss Faith Toilolo] New
Caledonia, [Miss Edweena Talatini] Uvea [former Wallis islands] and Futuna
[Monika Fiafialoto ] and Cook Islands, [Miss] were all exquisitely beautiful, a
prime example of a product in the genes of our collective ancestors, and whose
company I was honoured and delighted to be part of for the whole week. All
contestants and their chaperones were guests of the Tonga Miss South Pacific
Organising Committee until the finals night with the crowning of the new Miss
South Pacific for 2005-2006.
The first major appearance for the contestants was at Nuku’alofa Hotel in the evening to meet the Organising Committee members and the Miss South Pacific’s major sponsors. The special guest was HRH Hon Fanetupouvavau Tuita, herself the Patroness of the Tonga end of the competition. We met so many important personages there though I was not able to remember most by name but I did have a lengthy conversation with Mr Kitione Mokofisi, the Tonga Manager of Air Pacific. We discussed many issues including Reef Air and the Air Services Agreement, Tonga’s interest in our variety of Vanilla and Nonu. The reception was good [we were well fed that is] and the function terminated exactly at midnight – the pious nature of Tonga’s people and their collective adherence to Sunday observation was not lost on the visitors.
Sunday
at 10am we were [in the interest and the request of the Minister of Niue Tourism
I extended the Minister’s best wishes for the planned event and was promptly
made a member of the organising committee for the duration of the competition –
therefore the ‘we’ referred to from here on include myself] invited to attend a
church service at the Wesleyan Free Church where the King was to be present. No
photos were permitted until after the service but we did not have the
opportunity to meet His Majesty in person. Lunch at a Matangimalie Lagoon Resort
was long and protracted but I did get to enjoy the delights of a Tongan version
of a roasted suckling pig that was often written about by seafarers during the
past two centuries. Believe me it was scrumptious!
Monday
was a visit to the Alonga Centre for the Disabled – a must I am told for Beauty
pageants all over the world. I guess this follows a well known adage ‘…there but
for the grace of God…’ a charity that beauty pageants support religiously as a
matter of course. I was unable to attend this tour of the disabled facilities.
There were numerous cocktail functions throughout the week where each of the Platinum/Elite/Gold sponsors was left to do their own thing with their beautiful guests. Of the functions, the Float Parade on Wednesday afternoon through the main street in Nuku’alofa and the Grand final at the Queen Salote Auditorium were the most impressive, both in scope and popularity – it seemed that every Tongan who was somebody was intent not to miss out on these spectacular generated events. But my attention during the Float Parade was focused on the couple on the footpath who were waving a Niuean flag- something that does not occur very often outside Niue and I was pleasantly surprised and thought that the couple a photo and a mention for their dedication.
The final two days were spent by the contestants rehearsing for the final appearance on Friday night. A day out on an Island [Pagaimotu] Resort [formerly the Tongan Beachcomber] was very pleasant and peaceful. No o for the Miss South Pacific contestants who had to endure five hours of rehearsals. Apparently it was a popular hideaway for some of our people who visited Tonga in the past in the hey days of Royal Tonga Air.
Friday
night at the Queen Salote Auditorium was not exactly patron-friendly being too
expensive at T$50.00 entry fee. Full marks to the contestants for enduring the
hot and humid conditions made worse by a battery of lighting equipment pumping
out heat levels that could easily fry an egg. Once the programme started
everything was forgotten and every attention focused on the contestants on the
stage going through their well rehearsed repertoire of costumes and planned
physical activities. This is what call entertainment spectacular with each
contestant calling up energy reserves and when they failed only adrenalin levels
could sustain the four hours in what I could only describe as ‘punishing.’
Miss Cook Islands, Dorothea Ngapoko George, emerged the new Miss South Pacific with Miss Sina Hekau formally handing over the crown ending her reign of one year as the most beautiful young woman in the Pacific Region. In second place was Miss Tonga, third, Miss Samoa, fourth Miss New Caledonia followed by Miss American Samoa in fifth place. Miss Niue, Miss Leesara Heaki although unplaced in the top five came away with a well-earned Miss National Tourism Award. Congratulations Leesara!
The Good points…
As
the Premier’s and the Minister of Tourism envoy to the Pageant I was well
received and immediately given an unrestricted pass to every event function.
This made my job easier and I sincerely appreciated the courtesy extended to me
for the entire competition by the Pageant Organising Committee. In this regard I
had no complaints and I was well treated.
Niue’s media exposure from the recent Miss South Pacific pageant in Tonga reached a level we have never before experienced. The week-long Pageant was covered by Tangata Pasifika [NZ – which I was told is also made available to viewers in Australia] the Pacific Region and the United States – I know that CNN had air time through the American Samoa connections] and this year Niue has two beautiful young women in this event – Miss Sinahemana Hekau the out-going Miss South Pacific and the current Miss Niue, Leesara Heaki. If we add Miss Ngiar Heka, who came 15th out of 80 world contestants at the Manila Miss Earth Pageant last month, and Miss Sioe Haiosi from her Weightlifting successes then I would say that Niue has had an excellent media exposure just for the past two months from these four young women.
The Niue Team was well looked after by their respective families, relations and friends while we were in Tonga. Their generosity and moral support throughout the week made a big difference in the comfort of the team during their stay and reflected well in the way both Sina and Leesara performed in the Pageant.
My role as
PR and photographer to Sina and Leesara was not lost on the other contestants
and their retinues. They were intrigued that the Government of Niue and Niue
Tourism were supportive in the way they funded the said officer to cover the
Pageant in which they have two young women representing their country. The
general consensus was that they will request their governments for the same
after this year’s event.
Given the severe disruptions caused by the internal matters between the people, the government and the Tongan Monarchy in the past few months, the Organising Committee did well to hold the Pageant regardless of the turmoil faced by the nation. That the programme ran a well as did was a credit to them.
…and the not so good.
Thanks…
Mrs Ta Karalus the contestants’ ‘mother’ who delivers fresh flowers to
Miss Niue’s room every day, is farewelled.
For
the opportunity and the funding which enabled me to take photographs of the Miss
South Pacific Pageant in which we have the current Miss Niue and the 2004-2005
Miss South Pacific participating is one experience that I will appreciate thanks
to the Minister and the Director of Niue Tourism, Mrs Ida Hekesi, and the ever
vigilant Dylan Viviani who made sure that everything that could be done to make
sure that I did get to Tonga.
Sina Hekau and her faithful chaperone Robin Hekau in keeping Niue in focus during the last 12 months as Miss South Pacific.
Thanks to Mrs Lofa Misa and Ros Hipa for looking after Miss Niue, and to Feo Heaki for looking after me.
To Mrs Ta Karalus [Lofa Misa’s friend] for the personal attention she gave the Niue Team, including the fresh flowers she delivered to Miss Niue’s suite every day.
To Feo and Vano Heaki’s relatives and friends, including Fukulagi and his family, for all those wonderful meals, fresh watermelons and pineapples that we received throughout the week.
The Report will be logged in the Government Website when ready and a Photo Exhibition held at Falefono will be open for Public viewing.
In addition Some Regional news media [with whom I travelled to China in September] requested and received photographs [I made sure that each one contained both Sina and Leesara] for their news items.
I
currently have an enormous digital image file containing some 20 000 images
[pictures /iages taken since February 2004] that I will present to the Niue
Archives for our Taoga. These will be downloaded into discs and stored for
education and research.
The delectable Miss Cook Islands, the Miss South Pacific for 2005-2006