The King has served as the 32nd Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific since July 2025.
He was welcomed by Samoa'a Deputy Prime Minister Mulipola ‘Ale – Molio’o and Minister of Commerce, Industry and Labour (MCIL) Fata Ryan Schuster, with a Guard of Honour by the Samoa Police.
Head of State of Samoa Afioga Tuimaleali’ifano Vaaletoa Suālauvī II hosted an official luncheon to welcome the King at the Lava Hotel, attended by Members of the Council of Deputies Afioga Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi, Susuga Malietoa Molī II, and Afioga Le La’ulu Tiatia Mapesone Mapusua.
Hundreds of graduates were officially conferred their certificates, diplomas, and degrees by the Chancellor, during a ceremony held at the Samoa Football Apia Park Complex, on 29 May 2026.
In his keynote address, the Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council and Interim Management Group, the Rt. Hon. Siosiua Utoikamanu said, “Here in Samoa, with His Majesty the King of Tonga present as Chancellor of the University, with the leadership of the church in Samoa joining us, and with the voices of Piula Theological College helping grace this occasion, we are reminded that the ties across our Pacific have always been deeper than geography.
“It reminds us of the ancient bonds and the vā, between Tonga and Samoa and our Sea of Islands – bonds of kinship, of shared history, and of the enduring understanding that our Pacific peoples have never stood apart from one another, but have long been connected across ocean, family, and service," he said.
A total of 224 students graduated from the Samoa Campus, a cohort made up of 161 females and 63 males, and involving Tongan graduates.
