NZ's golden bond

of friendship

His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili 11, Head of State of Western Samoa, did more than see two Samoans win the only medals taken by Islanders in the Commonwealth Games at Christ church. On his first official visit to New Zealand, he did a bit of cement ing of the friendship bonds between his country and the ex-colonial power.

There was a mutual admiration session at luncheon given in his honour at Wellington by Prime Minister Norman Kirk, who said he admired the qualities of the Samoan people. The close association between their two countries went deeper than the ties of history and geography.

There was a human bond because many Samoans lived in New Zealand and numbers of New Zealanders lived in Western Samoa.

In his turn, the Head of State said there were many things in the New Zealand way of life which could be an example to the rest of the world.

He admired the way a multi-racial society had been built into a harmo nious community.

HH didn’t mention it, but one of the best things about New Zealand is the ready way it gets its hand into its pocket to help out the Islands. Per head of population it must hand out more than any other nation. And it’s upping the ante.

Said Mr Kirk, “The New Zealand Government is pledged to increase substantially the resources which it devotes to development assistance abroad. More than half the total goes to the South Pacific. The South Pacific is our priority and will so re main.”

His Highness Malietoa with NZ Prime Minister Norman Kirk and gifts.