Politicians converged on Polyfest on Friday, a chance for them to rub shoulders with the Polynesian population in Aotearoa - now at more than 380,000.
But there was no sign of Christopher Luxon, breaking what's become a tradition for Prime Ministers to visit.
The PM blamed a scheduling conflict when asked by Newshub yesterday.
"I had a fantastic engagement at Pasifika a few weekends ago, which was excellent," he said.
"If I can get there I'll try and get there but the reality is I'm doing other things for the next two days."
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said what the prime minister prioritises is up to him, however "it was certainly a priority for me", he said.
"I'm not gonna write Luxon's diary for him. But I'd say if he gets the opportunity to attend Polyfest in the future, he should do it. It's an amazing event and a great opportunity to see our future."
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters stepped in though, and Minister of Pacific Peoples Shane Reti promised more government support for the event over the next few years.
"We can have nice words, we can say all sorts of nice soundbites," he said.
"But actually when you put your hand in your pocket and support a festival, that's really walking the walk."
It's a step in the right direction for Polyfest's director, Seiuli Terii Leo-Mauum, who said this was the hardest year yet to raise funds.
"It's millions of dollars to run this festival. We don't want to be needing money from the community it actually serves. We need to get that from the ministries, from the Government who see the value of this festival."
The Polyfest action continues tomorrow for the last day of the festival.
