The Office of Ombudsman hosted a traditional ava ceremony on Monday to officially welcome New Zealand's Chief Ombudsman, Misa Peter Boshier and his delegation to Samoa. 

The ava ceremony at the Samoa Tourism Authority fale marked the beginning of week-long engagements between the two respective offices. 

Ombudsman of Samoa, Luamanuvao Katalina Sapolu and her office hosted the ava ceremony to welcome Misa and his delegation comprising his international development and engagement team and advisor on Investigations.

The ava ceremony was attended by heads of key agencies and partners of the Ombudsman Office including the Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Samoa Audit Office and the Ministry of Police and Corrections Services. 

A media statement released by Samoa's Office of Ombudsman said it shares a working partnership with the Office of the Ombudsman in New Zealand through the work that both Offices carry out in handling complaints, undertaking investigations and inspections and encouraging good administration within public agencies.

The media statement also explained the purpose of the official visit by the Chief Ombudsman of New Zealand who holds a matai title from the village of Falelatai. 

"The purpose of the visit is not only to further promote the role the Ombudsman plays in ensuring good governance, but to strengthen the working relationship between the two Offices, and encourage collaborations across oversight agencies in building strong national integrity systems."

Ombudsman Sapolu welcomed Chief Ombudsman in her remarks and acknowledged the delegation. 

“I thank you for coming to Samoa and look forward to the week's engagements and the impact on the promotion of the Ombudsman's key functions and contribution to ensuring strong administration within our own systems," Ombudsman Sapolu said. 

"The Chief Ombudsman of New Zealand has a full week's engagement including a courtesy visit to the Prime Minister of Samoa, Speaker of Parliament and Minister of Police. 

"Other engagements will also include providing support to the Office of the Ombudsman to carry out basic investigations training for Ombudsman Liaison Officers of public agencies."

Misa Peter Boshier has been the Chief Ombudsman of New Zealand since 2015. He is also the second vice President of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI). He holds the Samoan matai title of Misa from Falelatai which was bestowed in 2000. 

The delegation will return back to New Zealand this Saturday 10 September 2022.