The Prime Minister’s Office has confirmed that Lord Fakafanua accepted a proposal for the Government to perform a Hū Louifi to the King before the Palace Office directed that it should not proceed.
The confirmation followed an earlier response in which the office denied that a Hū Louifi would take place. It maintains that the denial was accurate because the proposed ceremony had neither been finalised nor publicly announced before it was called off.
An apparent internal memorandum subsequently obtained by Kaniva News appeared to indicate that the process of arranging funding for the ceremony had begun. However, the office said it could not verify the document’s authenticity.
The Prime Minister’s Office was responding for the second time after Kaniva News reported allegations that a taxpayer-funded Hū Louifi had been arranged in an apparent attempt to appease the King. His Majesty was reportedly displeased after learning that a former government had subleased part of his land without his prior knowledge.
The Prime Minister recently said there was nothing unlawful about the sublease. However, he believed the written agreement with the King should have included a clause requiring the Government to notify His Majesty before subleasing the land.
The initial report noted that Kaniva News had contacted the Prime Minister on Monday, August 24 for confirmation but had received no response by the time of publication on Wednesday, August 26.
Shortly after that report was published, the Prime Minister’s Office responded, saying: “There is no formal apology / hū louifi to take place to His Majesty.”
Kaniva News published the Prime Minister’s Office’s denial but shortly afterwards obtained a purported internal MEIDECC memorandum dated August 10, 2026, from Deputy Director of Meteorology Taniela Takeifanga to MEIDECC’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Soane Laitia Fifita.
The memo appeared to seek Fifita’s approval to begin financial processes for expenses associated with what it described as MEIDECC’s “Formal Traditional Apologies Protocol and Responsibilities (Hū Louifi)” to His Majesty. It also appeared to show the word “Approved” circled in black above what appeared to be Fifita’s name and signature at the bottom of the document.
It stated that the proposed ceremony followed directions from the Prime Minister, who is also Minister for MEIDECCC.
The listed expenses included traditional kava, Tongan mats, yams, a pig and a financial gift.
Memo Sent for Verification
Kaniva News subsequently sent a copy of the memorandum to the Prime Minister’s Office, seeking verification of its authenticity and an explanation of the apparent contradiction. In response, Elizabeth Kite, the Prime Minister’s Communications and Engagement Adviser, confirmed that the proposal had previously been considered and accepted by Lord Fakafanua.
“In January, His Majesty’s Land Representative proposed a Hu Louifi as part of efforts to resolve the issue, and MEIDECC’s Acting CEO at the time agreed to the proposed approach,” Kite said.
“This was consistent with the Prime Minister’s direction that the matter be resolved as soon as possible.
“The Prime Minister subsequently accepted the proposed approach.”
Kite said the Prime Minister supported the proposal because he wanted to strengthen the relationship between the Government and His Majesty and work constructively with the King’s representatives to resolve the matter.
However, she said the proposed ceremony was later abandoned following a direction from the Palace Office.
“The position communicated by Palace Office was that the matter did not arise from an error or action of the current Government and, accordingly, the Government would not be proceeding with a formal apology in relation to it,” Kite said.
She did not specify when the Palace Office issued the direction.
Kite maintained that the Government’s earlier denial was accurate because the ceremony would not proceed.
“To be clear, there will be no formal apology or Hu Louifi to His Majesty. This remains the current position,” she said.
Proposal had not been publicly announced
Kite argued that confirming the earlier proposal did not contradict the office’s denial that a Hū Louifi would take place, because the ceremony had not been finalised or publicly announced before it was called off.
She said the discussions and proposed arrangements were not announced because the details had not been finalised or confirmed.
“Government processes can and do evolve as further considerations arise, and arrangements may change before anything is formally announced. That is what occurred in this instance,” she said.
“The Government did not publicly announce that a Hu Louifi would take place and then subsequently reverse that decision, so there is no contradiction.”
“The confusion has therefore resulted from the reporting of an incomplete position, rather than from the Government changing a publicly announced decision.”
Memo authenticity not confirmed
Although Kite did not authenticate the memorandum, her response confirmed the sequence of events: the Prime Minister directed that the issue underlying the King’s reported displeasure be resolved; His Majesty’s Land Representative proposed a Hū Louifi; MEIDECC’s Acting Chief Executive Officer agreed to the approach; the Prime Minister subsequently accepted it; and the Palace Office later directed that it should not proceed.
Kite said different versions of documents relating to the proposal appeared to have circulated, with variations in their signatures and layouts. She said this reinforced the need to verify their authenticity and provenance.
Kaniva News did not publish the memorandum before sending it to the Prime Minister’s Office for verification and comment.
