After the death of his father, Malietoa Laupepa, who was recognized as king of Samoa by many Western countries, Tanumafili was immediately crowned, with Tupua Tamasese Lealofi I serving as vice-king.

[1] The vast majority of Samoa rallied behind the Matā‘afa-Sā Talavou party, including the Germans, the Tumua of Ātua-A‘ana, the Pule of Savai‘i (Keesing 1934:73), ‘Aiga-i-le-Tai, and most of Tuamasaga.

In 1901 he oversaw a massive distribution of 2,000 fine state-mats (‘ie o le mālō) which served to acknowledge the authority of traditional chiefs while demonstrating a level of cultural sensitivity on the part of the German Empire (Keesing 1934:84).

Other Samoan chiefs were upset over a perceived "attitude" adjustment of their paramounts; in 1901, Matā‘afa announced: Similarly, Malietoa Tanumafili disappointed many of his followers when he refused to accept the kingly ‘ava (also known as kava) and instead passed on his "rights and privileges" to the German government.

In January 1903, having arrived from Fiji, he declared: Solf and the German imperial officers came to confide in Matā‘afa Iosefo and endorsed him as the legitimate leader of the itū mālō.

Matā‘afa's actions later in his term, however, reveal that his declared obeisance to Germany was probably a front for underlying motives and sentiments (the type of togafiti deception that Solf frequently condemned).

In order to maintain the peace among "those who had not been recognised, but who had, in genealogical and recent historical terms, equal rank," Solf also allowed for the appointment of other paramount tama‘aiga to government offices (Meleiseā 1987b:50).

After opening Samoa’s first banking institution and deporting most German citizens, the New Zealand administration appointed Malietoa Tanumafili and Tupua Tamasese Lealofi I as joint Fautua.

Many Samoan customs which had been suppressed under German rule, such as ceremonial ‘ie toga exchanges and kilikiti matches, returned to normal function.

Tanumafili had been a founding member of Apia's so-called Toe‘aina Club which provided high-ranking Samoan chiefs a venue for socialization and collaboration.

Sir George Richardson's administration was widely opposed and by 1927 the leaders of the four Samoan royal families, or tama‘aiga, were divided in their opinions about New Zealand rule.

Matā‘afa Salanoa and Malietoa Tanumafili appeared to be loyal – "at least in public" – to the New Zealand administration (Meleiseā 1987b:142) while Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III and Tuimaleali‘ifano Si‘u supported the Samoan independence movement known as the Mau.

In March 1928, Malietoa supporters around Apia took offense to the anti-government rallies conducted by a particular Mau group from Savaii and had it not been for Tanumafili's intervention a tragic massacre probably would have taken place.