The investiture ceremony for Te Ulu o Te Watu/Pukapuka’s new Pepeu Aliki Makirai Henry has been rescheduled to next week to allow time for the contingent from Nassau to attend the celebration.

A spokesperson on the island said the postponement was due to several key factors.

Pukapuka’s recent fuel shortages, partly caused by the delayed arrival of the barge, have been alleviated by the arrival of the Taunga Nui barge last week. This will allow the island ferry to call into Nassau and transport passengers to Pukapuka for the Aliki investiture ceremony, said the spokesperson.

“Our community is thankful for their supply of dry and frozen goods,” the sportsperson said.

“However, another issue is that the island diesel generator has only been running up to four to six hours daily.

“This problem needs to be fixed and addressed, people are in dire need and are worried about their frozen goods.”

Another “big problem” is that the solar system on the island is “totally dysfunctional,” the spokesperson added.

Last month, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said repairs to the solar power system in the northern group islands could take up to a year.

The power issues being experienced in the northern Pa Enua are the result of batteries that store the electricity captured from the sun “not lasting as long as they were expected to”.

Makirai Henry, the newly elected Aliki, comes from the fourth line of the Aliki tribe – the Liita line. He was elected the new Aliki in June 2022.

The much-anticipated investiture will be conducted by Henry’s village Loto and the Papa Aliki (Council of Chiefs) of Pukapuka together with the Religious Advisory Council.

The previous title holder, Pakitonga Tetio Kaitala Paulo Iti Aliki, passed away in 2021 at the age of 81 while en route to Rarotonga from Pukapuka for medical treatment. He was returned to Te Ulu o Te Watu for burial.