The director of Pasifika at Massey University, Malakai Koloamatangi, said the absence of some leaders and the late arrival of others had opened the door for Tu'ilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi to take a bigger role.
Four of the 18 Pacific leaders are not attending the meeting which got underway on Tuesday, while Australia's prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, will arrive on Friday and the stand in for New Zealand's Bill English, Gerry Brownlee, arrives today.
Dr Koloamatangi said Tu'ilaepa had quite successfully assumed this Pacific leadership role.
