‘We don’t talk about money’: William Bilitaki wants Pasifika families to break the silence

A funeral loan that goes unspoken. A student who leaves university to help pay the bills. Children who inherit financial burdens without knowing how they began.

These are among the experiences young Fijian author William Bilitaki wants Pasifika families to feel able to talk about through his new book, Island Money.

Speaking on 531pi’s Pacific Days, Bilitaki says the book looks beyond budgeting and saving to explore the cultural expectations, family pressures and silence that can shape how Pacific people manage money.

"The book's trying to tackle the issues that the Pasifika community face around money, but more importantly, the silence that's around money," Bilitaki said.

"I just want to start putting names to issues that the communities we face and that we know, that we're familiar with, but we haven't quite named them yet. It contributes to the silence with how we behave within our communities around money.”

Bilitaki says he is not offering readers a step-by-step financial guide. Instead, he hopes the book will help families recognise the pressures they face and start talking about them.

In his book, Island Money, William Bilitaki discusses the hidden pressures of funeral obligations and household debt, encouraging parents to share their financial missteps so the next generation can thrive. Photo/William Bilitaki

Island Money grew out of experiences that started during Bilitaki’s school years, when he skipped classes to work and help cover household bills. Later, financial pressure forced him to pause his university studies and eventually leave.

He says those experiences revealed how much can sit behind a headline about a student struggling or leaving education to support their family.

"It's been a rollercoaster," Bilitaki said. "You'll see headlines such as students skipping school to work to help provide for their families financially, people dropping out of study... underneath these main issues there are so many layers that people don't quite understand. There are so many nuances behind these issues."

In his book, William Bilitaki also talks about how cultural obligations can create financial pressure particularly when families take on debt without discussing the decision or its long-term impact. Photo/PMN News

He also highlighted how cultural obligations can create financial pressure particularly when families take on debt without discussing the decision or its long-term impact.

"I talk in the book about families and people that I have come across that have taken out loans to be able to pay for funeral obligations," he said.

"None of that was discussed with the family, it was just done, and then the burden of the repayments gets passed on to the next generation through the silence."

Sāmoan mum Avelina Satiu, who recently shared her budgeting and savings journey on Pacific Mornings, says talking about money can be difficult in Pacific families where expectations to support families can put pressure on household finances.

"It's very taboo. We just don't talk about money at all."

Satiu says she has taken out loans in the past to help family meet cultural obligations, leaving her in debt.

William Bilitaki hopes Island Money will help families move from recognising these problems to discussing how they can be addressed. Photo/William Bilitaki

Her experience reflects the tension some families face between meeting those responsibilities and managing their own financial security.

Bilitaki says these conversations can be difficult, especially when money is tied to family responsibilities and expectations. But keeping financial struggles hidden can leave younger family members carrying the consequences without understanding the choices that came before them.

He hopes Island Money will help families move from recognising these problems to discussing how they can be addressed.

"This book, I just wanted it to be almost like a permission slip for people to identify with the issues in this book, put a name to them, and then we can start to talk about it and start creating an environment where we can start to talk about the solutions for these problems," Bilitaki said.

He wants parents to share not only their financial successes but also the mistakes and lessons they have learnt so their children can make more informed choices.

"Take the time to sit with your family and talk about money, and talk about the mistakes and the lessons that you've faced as a parent," he said.

Watch William Bilitaki's full interview below.

“The last thing that you would want to have is for your children and their children to follow in the same pattern."

Island Money is available on Amazon, with physical copies expected in stores early next year.

Bilitaki hopes that opening up conversations about money will help Pasifika families better understand their financial challenges and work towards a stronger future for the next generation.