Where did the ancestors of Polynesian peoples likely come from?

The theory that Polynesian ancestors originated from South America is considered scientifically discredited. Instead, archaeological, linguistic, and ethnological evidence supports the hypothesis that the ancestors of Polynesian peoples migrated from the region of [Southeast Asia].12

These migrations occurred in waves. Early research once suggested these groups were ethnically distinct, but modern understanding indicates that Polynesian culture emerged within the islands through the intermixture of an original population of non-Austronesian-language speakers with a later wave of [Austronesian speakers]. These later migrants, associated with the prehistoric [Lapita culture], established themselves in the Bismarck Archipelago approximately 4,000 years ago before spreading eastward into [Fiji], [Tonga], and [Samoa], which are often regarded as the Polynesian homeland. From there, generations of skilled navigators used seaworthy sailing canoes to settle the wider reaches of [Polynesia].13