Anutin receives Māori welcome at start of New Zealand visit

Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul began his official visit to New Zealand on Friday (August 21) with a traditional Māori welcome at Government House.

Government spokeswoman Rachada Dhanadirek reported that Anutin and his wife arrived at 10am local time for the ceremony, held as Thailand and New Zealand mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

On the lawn outside Government House, the resident kaumātua and kuia, or Māori elders, greeted Anutin with a traditional nose-to-nose welcome before the formal Māori ceremony began.

Māori performers then conducted a wero, a traditional challenge intended to determine whether a visitor comes in peace. A Māori warrior placed a carved object on the ground for Anutin to pick up and hold, signalling that he had no hostile intent and allowing him to proceed into the welcoming ceremony.

The wero was followed by a karanga, a traditional call of welcome delivered by a senior Māori woman, and a haka performed in honour of the visiting delegation.

Anutin and his wife were then welcomed by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his wife. Anutin stood on the saluting dais as a military band played the Thai and New Zealand national anthems before he inspected the guard of honour.

The two leaders and their wives later entered Government House, where Anutin signed the visitors’ book. They then posed for photographs and exchanged commemorative gifts.

At 10.30am, Anutin and Luxon held restricted talks and exchanged views on the future direction of bilateral relations following their elevation to a Strategic Partnership. The framework is intended to drive closer and more tangible cooperation between the two countries. New Zealand’s government described the visit as the formal launch of the partnership.

The leaders also discussed Thailand and New Zealand’s roles as partners in promoting regional peace, stability and prosperity, as well as strengthening economic resilience and people-to-people links.

They were scheduled to continue with full delegation talks at 11am, with the two sides seeking to ensure that the new phase of relations delivers concrete opportunities and benefits for their people.