Remarks by the Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council and the Interim Management Group (IMG)
USP Tonga Campus Graduation
October 2025
TAPU PEA MO E ‘AFIO ‘A E TOLU TAHA’I ‘OTUA’ ‘I HOTAU LOTOLOTONGA’,
TAPU PEA MO HO’OMO ‘AFIFIO’, KINGI TUPOU 6 PEA MO KUINI NANASIPAU’U
TALA MO KAPUI KAU HUFANGA ‘I HE TALAMALU ‘OE FONUA’ KE FAKAHOKO ‘E HO’O MOTU’A NI, ‘A E FATONGIA NI ‘I HE LEA FAKA-PILITANIA’.
Salutations:
- Your Majesty King Tupou VI, King of Tonga and Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific
- Your Majesty Queen Nanasipau‘u
- Nobles of the Realm, Ministers of the Crown, Members of the Legislative Assembly and the Judiciary
- Your Excellencies Members of the Diplomatic Corps
- The Reverend Fataimelo Vailahi Taufa, USP Tonga Campus Chaplain and members of the clergy
- Members of Council and Senate, Staff, Students of the University of the South Pacific
- Most importantly, to our graduating class and your families, friends and loved ones, and all who have supported you throughout this remarkable journey.
Mālō e lelei and warm Pacific greetings.
There are moments in the life of an institution when time itself seems to converge, when the past, present, and future align in a single, luminous point of meaning.
Today is one such moment. It is a moment of reflection, of celebration, and of quiet resolve, where legacy meets aspiration, and where each step forward carries the weight of all that came before.
Nearly sixty years ago, the His Late Majesty King Tāufa‘āhau Tupou IV became the first Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific. His vision was bold and generous: that through education, the peoples of our scattered islands might be united by shared opportunity and shared purpose.
Today, his son, His Majesty King Tupou VI, stands before us as our Chancellor, presiding over the same institution his father helped to imagine into being.
This is legacy in its truest sense – not simply inheritance, but continuity of vision, grounded in faith, foresight, and service. It is a legacy of belief: that knowledge can lift every community, that education can empower every generation, and that learning shared across oceans can strengthen us all.
The timeless words of Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” penned millennia ago and often invoked by His Late Majesty King George Tupou I, addresses a nation of the perils of turning away from divine truth and embracing the wisdom of the world.
We are again reminded that knowledge is not only a path to progress but a sacred trust- one that must be nurtured, shared, and used for the good of all. Education is not the privilege of a select few; it is the shared responsibility of all, a collective commitment to uplift, empower, and transform.
Graduation is a celebration of that belief. It reminds us that talent is everywhere – in every island, every village, every home – but opportunity is not.
That is where USP stands: as the bridge between potential and opportunity.
To every graduate gathered here today: your achievement is not yours alone.
It is the triumph of families who sacrificed, of teachers who nurtured your potential, and of communities who believed in you even in moments when you questioned your own path.
This is your moment and theirs. A shared celebration of perseverance, hope, and the power of collective support.
But this celebration also calls us to look beyond the stage and the gown, to the larger purpose that brought this University into existence. USP was not founded merely to grant degrees. It was founded to shape futures, to connect islands, and to serve the Pacific.
We are now entering a new chapter in that shared journey – one that is more student-centred, digitally connected, regionally cohesive, and financially sustainable.
We are, in many ways, returning to the original compass set by our founders: the belief that our greatest asset is our people, and that excellence is measured not by size or wealth, but by relevance, impact, and service.
There is something deeply reassuring that in this moment of transition, we are guided by His Majesty King Tupou VI, whose presence provides not only continuity but sanctuary – the assurance of safe harbour within the wisdom, strength, and steadfast leadership of the Royal House of Tonga.
Your Majesty, there is special resonance in your presence during this season of renewal. It reminds us that leadership is not only about direction, but about custodianship – about holding something precious in trust for those yet to come.
It is through the humility to serve and to listen that true leadership finds its strength.
That is the spirit in which we now move forward.
We are building upon the dreams of our founders, but also laying foundations for the next generation of Pacific leaders – for a university that not only keeps pace with the world but helps define what progress looks like for our region.
Our duty as custodians is to ensure that this University remains a mirror of the Pacific it serves. We must look like our communities, sound like them, and ensure our teaching and research speak to their realities and aspirations. If USP is a mirror, our nations should see themselves reflected in its light.
The journey ahead calls for imagination and courage. It calls for us to harness innovation while holding fast to our values. It calls for wisdom – the kind that looks back with gratitude, around with humility, and forward with conviction.
To our graduates: as you leave this place, remember that your degree is not a destination, but a beginning. You carry the responsibility of those who paved the way and the hopes of those who will follow. Your talent will open doors, but it is your integrity that will determine how long they stay open.
You are the deliverers of our success. Your success will not be measured by what you earn, but by what you enable others to achieve. Be generous with your gifts. Share your knowledge freely. Keep your roots deep in your community, but let your vision reach beyond the horizon.
Today, as we look across this hall and see the hopes and dreams of hundreds of families gathered under one roof, we are reminded of the words of one of our greatest Pacific thinkers, the late Professor Epeli Hau‘ofa, who wrote:
“We are the sea; we are the ocean; we must wake up to this ancient truth.”
That truth lives here – in this gathering, in this University, and in the shared destiny of our region. It is the heartbeat of USP, and you, our graduates, are now its newest custodians.
So, as we celebrate you today, we also honour the enduring wisdom of our founders – and the living legacy of our Chancellor and his late father before him.
May we continue to build a University that not only pursues excellence but embodies foresight – one that opens doors, uplifts lives, and strengthens every island, every family, every dream across this vast Pacific.
For when the next generation looks into the mirror of USP, may they see themselves – confident, capable, connected, and ready to steer our ocean of islands toward a future of purpose and promise.
Mālō ‘aupito, every blessing for the voyage ahead.