George Tupou V July 2008, a "Taumafa Kava" (Royal Kava Ring ceremony) was held on Malaʻe Pangai, the open space to the east of the Royal Palace. During the ceremony, Tupou V sat on a pile of handwoven "pandanus" mats in an open pavilion facing the sea, while more than 200 Tongan nobles and chiefs dressed in woven skirts and sea shells circled him. He wore the traditional Tongan "ta'ovala" (woven mat skirt) and a garland of flowers. During this ceremony, Tupou V was formally recognised as the "Tuʻi Kanokupolu", and the rightful descendent of King George Tupou I, who united Tonga in
Tupou Neiufi Tupou Neiufi Tupou Neiufi (born 15 June 2001) is a New Zealand para-swimmer who represented her country at the 2016 Summer Paralympics and the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The eldest of seven children, Neiufi was born in Mangere East on 15 June 2001 to Tongan New Zealanders Lose and Fineasi Neiufi. Neiufi was hit by a speeding car in 2004, when she was two years old, and suffered damage to the right side of her head. As a result, she has a left sided hemiplegia and the left side of her body is smaller and weaker than the right. She was