From UCLA to Aotearoa: A journey to connect through sport

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) former student-athlete Lanea Tuiasosopo is in Aotearoa on a mission to uplift Pacific communities through sport.

A talented university rower, Tuiasosopo​’s own successful journey through sports and education has motivated her to try and pave the way for other Pacific women to access similar opportunities.

As part of the prestigious Fulbright Programme, Tuiasosopo​ is in Auckland undertaking a Masters in Global Studies, which she says is all about “learning and connecting” with what’s happening here.

“I want to see our Pacific girls getting those opportunities to study and play any sport they dream of at a higher level!

“I get excited when I look at Pacific girls and think ‘we would make mean rowers!’. It’s such an affluent sport for us, often restricted to white spaces, and I want to change that.”

Tuiasosopo’s research as part of Auckland University’s Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa Center for Pacific and Global Health Research aims to address health and gender issues in Pacific communities. Tuiasosopo believes sport can be a tool to tackle some of those challenges.

“We look at major international problems like climate change, health disparities, and gender inequities. These might seem overwhelming but we can look at them at a local level, and how we can tangibly help our communities.

“I’m looking at the health and gender space of the Pacific, and how sport might be a solution to these issues. How can we centre our Pacific ways, fa’asamoa etc. in sporting culture.”

Tuiasosopo was drawn to Aotearoa after a visit from a group of Pacific and Indigenous NRL players came to her university in Los Angeles.

The visit sparked Tuiasosopo’s interest in heading to Aotearoa to connect and learn from Pacific leaders in the sporting space, and she chose Auckland as the city with the world’s largest concentration of Pacific peoples.

“I grew up being an athlete, and being a part of a big Sāmoan football family. Sport was always a way to express and learn my culture.

“Being so far from concentrated groups of Samoans, I was always inspired by sports in Aotearoa and the many Pacific athletes here.”

While in Auckland, Tuiasosopo has also taken up sports including basketball and Waka Ama which as an expert rower, she says has been an incredible experience.

She adds there are many similarities between the US and New Zealand in how sport is used as a way for building connection.

“I’ve noticed that Kiwis love their sports and that’s something so beautiful to me. It’s well understood that sport is so much more than what happens on the field.

“It’s about community, it’s about giving back, it’s about our culture.”

Since being in the country, Tuiasosopo​ has grown an appreciation for the presence of Pacific people and culture.

“Having not grown up with this much visibility, to have platforms and spaces dedicated for our people is encouraging.”

And Tuiasosopo​ hopes that while in New Zealand, she can also help Pacific young people access some of the incredible sporting opportunities in the US.

“It’s really close to home for me, and it also motivated me to come here seeing them embrace our culture. I do want to help to contribute similarly to them, especially opportunities for girls.”