Drama had begun even before New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon landed. One thing is clear: neither Luxon nor the New Zealand High Commissioner Sialei Van Toor, requested a matai title.

For Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt to make such claims seems unsurprising; however, the nation does not expect this from its leader. Did he mistakenly say that Luxon and High Commissioner Van Toor requested the government to bestow a matai title on the Kiwi leader? It does not look like that. It seems both the words and the forum he chose to address this matter were deliberate.

If the press conference fiasco with Australian Foreign Minister Penny was bad, this is taking things to a whole new level. It is only right that the Prime Minister explain what went wrong and why he made untrue comments. 

A letter has also been written to the Lands and Titles Court asking it to stop the matai bestowment. The family to whom the Tuisinavemaulumoto'otua title belongs has seen this act as disrespectful. They said no permission was asked or given to use the title. That raises the question of who decided to bestow this title on Luxon and who requested or instructed it.

Previous untrue comments have landed the Prime Minister in hot water. Former Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa has taken Laaulialemalietoa to court for such an utterance in which he publicly alleged her involvement in the death of Professor Caroline Gabbard. The matter is before the courts. Another matter is in the criminal jurisdiction. Two police officers filed a defamation and criminal libel proceeding against him for alleging the two lawmen had been bribed.

During last year's election campaign, Laaulialemalietoa also claimed that this newspaper had apologised to the then Deputy Speaker Auapaau and paid him $20,000 in compensation, even though no such apology was made and no compensation was ever paid. We hope that the road ahead is illuminated by truth after the Prime Minister explains the comments he made about the matai title request.

Luxon arrived Sunday night for his three day Pacific tour. He also plans to travel to Tonga to meet with the new Prime Minister of the Friendly Islands. This means that his time in Samoa is limited. On Monday, he will participate in an ava ceremony, apparently a matai title bestowment and a guard of honour. He will also officiate at the opening of the $30 million Savalalo Market and visit projects funded by the New Zealand government. A bilateral discussion will take place, and visas will be among the topics. New Zealand recently announced a reduction in visitor visa fees and multiple-entry visitor visas. 

Laaulialemalietoa should also explore this opportunity to see what more the New Zealand government can do about the Manwanui sinking. The $10 million is not enough for the irreparable damage to the environment and the livelihoods of thousands. As expected, Luxon will announce further aid.

If Luxon accepts the matai title, he will not be the first New Zealand leader to do so. Five others and Winston Peters have received titles before but this one is contentious.

Let's see what the week holds.