| Consort: | yes |
| Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe | |
| Queen Mother of Tonga | |
| Succession: | Queen consort of Tonga |
| Reign: | 16 December 1965 – 10 September 2006 |
| Cor-Type: | Coronation |
| Coronation: | 4 July 1967 |
| Father: | Tēvita Manuopangai ʻAhomeʻe |
| Mother: | Heuʻifanga Veikune |
| Full Name: | Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe |
| Birth Date: | 29 May 1926 |
| Birth Place: | Tonga |
| Death Place: | Mercy Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Burial Date: | 1 March 2017 |
| Burial Place: | Malaʻekula |
Halaevalu Mata'aho ʻAhomeʻe (29 May 1926 – 19 February 2017) was Queen of Tonga from 1965 to 2006, as the wife of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV. She was the mother of King George Tupou V and the current King of Tonga, Tupou VI.[1]
Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe was born on 29 May 1926, the eldest daughter of the Hon. Tevita Manu-’o-pangai, ‘Ahome’e, sometime Governor of Vava’u and Ha’apai and Minister for Police and his wife, Heuʻifanga Veikune, a great-granddaughter of the Tu'i Tonga.[2] [3] [4] She was also a great-great-granddaughter of Enele Maʻafu.[4]
She was educated at St Joseph's Convent School, Nuku’alofa, and St Mary's College, in Auckland, New Zealand.[5]
On 10 June 1947, Halaevalu married her distant relative Crown Prince Tāufaʻāhau of Tonga[6] (eldest son of Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga (1900-1965) and Prince Viliami Tungī Mailefihi).
The Queen Mother celebrated her 85th birthday in 2011 with a five-day celebration held in May.[3] The celebrations began with a garden party for more than one hundred Tongan women held at the home of the President of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, Rev. Dr. ‘Ahio.[3] The Queen Mother attended a Roman Catholic mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Ma'ufanga with King Siaosi Tupou V on 26 May 2011.[3] The Tongan Ministry of Education, Women Affairs and Culture held a student celebration for her birthday on 27 May, with primary school students from Pangai Lahi to Teufaiva Park, presenting the Queen Mother with birthday gifts.[3] A private party was held in Ha'avakatolo the next day, followed by a church service held at the Centennial Church on Sunday 29 May, and a luncheon at the Royal Palace in Nukuʻalofa.[3]
The Queen Mother embarked on a two-week trip to the U.S. state of Utah in July and August 2011.[7] Specifically, the Queen Mother came to visit the Tongan United Methodist Church in West Valley City, Utah, whose congregation had raised approximately $500,000 in less than a year to pay off the mortgage on the building.[7] The Mayor of West Valley City, Michael K. Winder, awarded the Queen Mother the key to the city on July 27, 2011.[7] She also met with Utah Governor Gary Herbert the next day.[7]
On 19 February 2017, the Queen Mother died aged 90, which was confirmed by her granddaughter Princess Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho, High Commissioner of Tonga to Australia, a week after she was flown to Auckland, New Zealand, for minor medical issues; the cause of death, however, was not released publicly.
The Queen Mother's remains were flown back to Tonga by the Royal Beechcraft G.18S Aircraft on 28 February, flanked by the C-130 Hercules of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, after lying-in-state at the Tongan royal residence, ʻAtalanga in Epsom, Auckland.
See also: List of honours of the Tongan Royal Family by country.
Tonga: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Pouono[8] [9] [10] Tonga: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Crown[11] Tonga: Knight Grand Cross of the Order Order of Sālote Tupou III[12] Tonga: Dame of the King George Tupou V Royal Family Order[13] Tonga: Recipient of the Red Cross Medal[13] Tonga: Recipient of the King Tupou VI Coronation Medal[13] Tonga: Recipient of the King George Tupou V Coronation Medal[13] Tonga: Recipient of the King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV Silver Jubilee Medal[13]
Germany: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Special Class[14]
Japan: Paulownia Dame Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown[15]
United Kingdom: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal[13] United Kingdom: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal[13]See the Tongan language page and ancestor's page ...