A dissident Fiji army officer, Lieutenant Colonel Tevita Mara, received an official welcome by members of the Fiji community in south Auckland on Saturday evening.
Colonel Mara arrived in New Zealand this week on a Tongan passport and has had meetings with foreign affairs officials, the Maori King - King Tuheitia - and members of the Fiji community.
He was due to speak at the rally, organised by the Fiji Democracy and Freedom Movement New Zealand, being held in Papatoetoe.
