With two days of formal talks ahead of them at the Pacific Islands Forum in Auckland, 16 Pacific leaders tonight joined in song at a welcoming ceremony.
Prime Minister John Key hosted a powhiri at Auckland Museum, where Pacific leaders were given a traditional Maori greeting with haka and waiata.
The visitors responded to the New Zealand delegation with their own Maori song and received a round of applause for their efforts.
Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples welcomed the visitors, noting the special ties between Pacific countries and the long history that made the relationship special.
