If you’ve spent any time scrolling lately, chances are you’ve come across a cheeky little character named PJ Tuimana.
The four-year-old Tongan boy from Timaru has blown up online, pulling in 1.5 million views on Instagram alone and millions more across TikTok and Facebook after a video dropped of him proudly declaring, “I’m full Māori, bro.”
The whole thing kicked off when his parents, Mahe and Charlotte Tuimana, took him shopping. Out of all the options there, PJ beelined for the Tino Rangatiratanga flag.
Unlike his whanaunga who’ve turned stadiums and global communities red and white with the Tongan flag, PJ wasn’t having it.
When his parents questioned him, the fiercely stubborn preschooler stood his ground, owning his new identity with that bulletproof confidence only a four-year-old has.
The internet’s newest moko
Tahu News reporter Shakayla Andrews Alapaki caught up with his parents Mahe and Charlotte Tuimana. At his home Alapaki experienced that same big aura from one of the Kiwis smallest fans.
Still, the family say he’s been unaware of the massive online aroha in comment sections, especially from Māori who are claiming him as a “moko” and welcoming him in with open arms.
Notable figures have joined the chorus, including broadcaster Stacey Morrison, who commented on the viral video: “We gonna announce it on @tekareretvnz he’s Full Māori, whakarongo tātou, he’s full Māori.”
Even politicians and advocates have chimed in, with Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon writing, “We love this moko, whakarongo tātou māmā,” and Tania Waikato adding, “Yes you are my bro.”
For Mahe and Charlotte, seeing it blow up was a bit of a shock.
“To me personally, I didn’t think it would go viral because this is what we put up with every day,” Mahe laughed. He reckons Charlotte’s always capturing PJ’s unfiltered daily chaos.
“It’s good that the world gets to see his little personality, the kind that keeps you on your toes,” he said.
His proud mum said the support had been beautiful.
“I was surprised it got that many views, but you know, the Māori community love to claim him, and I think they love seeing people that aren’t Māori be proud of being Māori. That’s what PJ showed,” Charlotte said.
Where it all began
So, how does a Tongan kid down in the South Island end up with such a massive soft spot for te ao Māori?
PJ’s parents said even though they have lived in Tauranga and Palmerston North, it wasn’t until they moved to Timaru and their boy started at Kōwhai Kindergarten that things clicked for him. The teachers aren’t Māori, but the kaiako make a real effort to weave te reo Māori into the daily mix, even calling their four-year-olds “rangatiratanga kids.”
The whānau first realised how much PJ had soaked in during a rough bedtime. Charlotte was trying to calm a restless PJ down, telling him to close his eyes and relax, when the four-year-old fired back with a practiced, soothing instruction, “Hā ki roto, hā ki waho.”
“That’s when I was like, he knows more te reo Māori than me,” Mahe admits.
Charlotte says they’re genuinely grateful for what the kindy does, especially since they don’t have heaps of te reo to pass on at home themselves.
“It makes him feel calm,” she said.
“And it’s nice seeing him embrace another language. It’s really important to us that he learns Tongan at some point as well, so picking up another language is just great for his brain.”
Parents back Tonga, But PJ is backing the Kiwis
Naturally, PJ’s flag-waving has made him a professional “rage baiter” for his old man. Charlotte watched his cultural fascination kick off around Rugby League World Cup time.
“After getting into the All Blacks tour and getting into the Kiwis and Tonga during the Rugby League World Cup, he’s really just started to enjoy different cultures.”
With Tonga knocked out, the whānau are backing the Kiwis to bring it home.
But PJ is playing his own game of sports diplomacy, deadpanning that “I’m going for Kiwis... because I’ve got a New Zealand passport,” before instantly flipping to, “You’re Kiwis, and I’m Australia, I’m Tonga.”
Mahe and Charlotte aren’t stressing over his shifting allegiances. PJ knows he’s Tongan through and through.
As Charlotte puts it, “PJ knows he’s Tongan... he knows he doesn’t have any Māori on either side of his family, but the way we see it... it’s just the way kids enjoy other cultures.”
And when pressed on his unique brand of “Tongan math,” insisting he is “full Māori and half Tongan,” PJ covers all his bases, “I’m a proud Tongan... and a proud Māori... and a proud Australian.”
Safe to say, Aotearoa’s newest rangatiratanga icon is going to have one hell of a 21st-birthday video package waiting for him.
