Pacific / Tonga

Tonga declares national holiday as tribute for Queen Mother

10:55 am on 27 February 2017

Tonga's government has announced a public holiday to mark the death of the Queen Mother, Halaevalu Mata'aho.

Photo: 123 RF

Queen Mata'aho died last weekend at the age of 90 in Auckland.

The government has now declared that as a tribute to the late Queen Mother, Wednesday 1 March will be a Special Public Holiday.

All flags in the country will also be flown at half-mast from Tuesday, the day Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules taking Queen Mata'aho back to Tonga is scheduled to arrive.

The flags will remain at half-mast for 10 days of mourning.