The entrance marked the official opening of the Pacific Islands Forum, Ms Gillard the last of the 14 Pacific leaders to parade amid the dancers spinning an island-style greeting.
''It's not the way I normally begin multilateral meetings, but I was happy to participate with all of the other leaders in the Cook Islands custom,'' Ms Gillard said later.
The true business of the forum gets under way today, with Ms Gillard - Australia's first female PM and the only woman among the dignitaries - set to reveal a $320 million personal initiative to raise the status of women in the Pacific.
''As the only woman attending the forum, the only female leader, I will be focusing on gender equality,'' she told reporters after landing, adding the issue was not simply about men and women having equal treatment helping economic development.
The entrance marked the official opening of the Pacific Islands Forum, Ms Gillard the last of the 14 Pacific leaders to parade amid the dancers spinning an island-style greeting.
''It's not the way I normally begin multilateral meetings, but I was happy to participate with all of the other leaders in the Cook Islands custom,'' Ms Gillard said later.
The true business of the forum gets under way today, with Ms Gillard - Australia's first female PM and the only woman among the dignitaries - set to reveal a $320 million personal initiative to raise the status of women in the Pacific.
''As the only woman attending the forum, the only female leader, I will be focusing on gender equality,'' she told reporters after landing, adding the issue was not simply about men and women having equal treatment helping economic development.