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Austronesian leaders have gathered in Waitangi
for the second international Malayo-Polynesian conference.
Oriini Tipene-Leach has more.
The Maori Affairs Minister only just returned from Malaysia,
but business continues here at home.
So the world can see
that Austronesians are uniting,
that we still continue to fight.
From the Prince of Malaysia to the royal reps of Manihiki,
this is no ordinary conference.
Your ancestor Kupe
originally came from our island.
He sailed here on the Matawhaorua
and then came back to Whutunui in Manihiki.
That's where our marae is.
It's a four-day conference set here in Waitangi
and one of the main objectives
is to reaffirm the bonds between the 33 nations,
which began 40,000 years ago.
And for every nation to collaborate on moving forward together.
The third international conference
will be held in South Africa in 2016.
Oriini Tipene-Leach, Te Karere.