Pacific Islands Heads of Mission Meeting July 2020
13th July 2020
Front Row (Left-Right): Deputy Chief Executive for Regional Partnerships of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (Ms Aiolupotea Sina Aiono), Cook Islands High Commissioner (HE Elizabeth Wright-Koteka), Samoa High Commissioner and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps (HE Leasi Papali’i Scanlan) and Fiji High Commissioner (HE Filimone Waqabaca).
Back Row (Left-Right): Vanuatu High Commissioner (HE Johnson Marakipule Naviti), Solomon Islands Chargé d'affaires (Mr John Kemakeza), Tuvalu High Commissioner (HE Paulson Panapa), Niue High Commissioner (HE Fisa Igilisi Pihigia) and Papua New Guinea High Commissioner (HE Francis Agwi).
Back Row (Left-Right): Vanuatu High Commissioner (HE Johnson Marakipule Naviti), Solomon Islands Chargé d'affaires (Mr John Kemakeza), Tuvalu High Commissioner (HE Paulson Panapa), Niue High Commissioner (HE Fisa Igilisi Pihigia) and Papua New Guinea High Commissioner (HE Francis Agwi).
On Friday, 10 July 2020, the quarterly Pacific Islands Heads of Mission Meeting was hosted at the Fiji High Commission in Wellington and chaired by HE Filimone Waqabaca. The Samoa High Commissioner and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps (HE Leasi Papali’i Scanlan) along with other Pacific Islands Heads of Mission briefed one another on the work of their respective Missions since their last meeting, which took place in February 2020, as well as developments in their home countries. COVID-19 and its wide-reaching effects was the main topic of discussion. The guest speaker, Deputy Chief Executive for Regional Partnerships of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (Aiolupotea Sina Aiono), spoke to the group on the Ministry’s current activities including the support rendered to the Peoples of the Pacific in NZ affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as future support through the Ministry’s Wellbeing Budget for the financial year 2020/21.