The 2020 Lakepa show day will be remembered as the day when the government pledged additional financial support to all villages during Premier Dalton Tagelagi’s speech but that was after the newly elected Lakepa member of parliament announced that he had donated his annual allowance to the village show day.
The member of Parliament for the village of Lakepa John Opo Tiakia made the announcement during his speech at the annual show day on Saturday. The annual allowance of $4,000 is prescribed in the Civil List Amendment Act 2017 for each member of parliament to defray the costs incurred in relation to official duties and representation at official functions.
BCN News reported the annual salaries and allowances of MPs last Wednesday and Thursday.
Mr Tiakia also paid tribute to his predecessor Mr Kupa Magatogia for his years of service as the Ekepule and his work for the village, thanking him for all that he had done for Lakepa.
In attendance also at her first village show day is the new NZ High Commissioner, H.E Helen Tunnah who shared in her speech her connection to Lakepa. She said that her Vagahau Niue tutor in Auckland in preparation for her posting to Niue was none other than the Lakepa MPs sister Mrs. Mele Nemaia.
The village show day was well attended and the people of Lakepa did not disappoint the crowd putting on another successful day. Beautifully decorated stalls displaying a variety of food and fresh produce supplied a wide array of food and drinks.
The show day’s favorite nane or local coconut and starch porridge were devoured by those lucky or early enough to get some. The half-day event ended with the usual fiafia ( happy) performances by the young people of the village.
The show day was held last Saturday August 8th.