From Aotearoa to Asia: How a Tongan mother strives to preserve her language and culture

A Malaysia-based Tongan educator continues to preserve Lea Faka-Tonga through the use of bilingual resources and storytelling.

Amelia Tuionetoa Connor left Aotearoa for Malaysia with her family in June last year, with two decades of education experience behind her.

After arriving in Malaysia, Connor began working at a British Cambridge International School, teaching Year 5 students.

Speaking to Latu Konifelenisi-Fonua at PMN Tonga, Connor says she incorporates te reo Māori and Lea Faka-Tonga in classrooms through bilingual books.

It is a way of encouraging her students to be curious and proud about their indigenous languages.

“I have students from China and Japan, and they are fascinated when I explain to them I was born and raised in Tonga. This is my language, and my kids went to a Tongan school in New Zealand,” Connor says.

When the teacher shared with her students how Aotearoa New Zealand has multiple early childhood centres and primary schools which teach Pacific languages, they were amazed.

“It is something I am really proud of,” Connor says, adding that the move to Asia was driven by a love for travel and cultural exchange, but the trade-off is that her children now lack an immersive Tongan language environment.

She says they have spoken Tongan since birth, and losing that immersion has been hard. “I admit I've been very slack with that - there's such limited time in a day to speak to your kids, especially when they're at school.

Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Photo/Unsplash

“I'm trying hard to keep up the language with my kids but also to expose my students to the language and explain to them where I come from.”

She says what she misses most from Aotearoa are her family, friends, and the Māori and Pacific languages, especially considering her school does not teach those languages.

Currently, her children learn French, Mandarin and Bahasa, but Connor continues to counterbalance this through her bilingual books, songs, poetry and stories.

She also misses family and friends and having a support system. “It's so hard to trust people with your kids to have some time out when you're in a foreign country - you don’t know people well.

“I miss the food - my dad's Tongan food. There's manioke, talo and everything here, but I make 'ota 'ika, and I'm still trying to find lu that I can eat.”

Watch Amelia Tuionetoa Connor’s full interview below.

Was the move worth it?

So far, Connor has only met one other Tongan person during a family trip in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.

“My kids were gravitating towards these kids that looked like them, and it turns out I was sitting next to their dad, who's Tongan,” she says.

“They were… on their way to New Zealand to visit his family. It was quite special. My kids were immediately drawn to these other kids, who were also Tongan.”

Despite the challenges, Connor believes the move has been financially beneficial, strengthened family bonds and provided new opportunities.

She says life in New Zealand “became routine”, where she would already be at work while her husband got their children ready for school.

Connor would then bring them home and make dinner, with only an hour in the evening free before their children had to bathe and go to bed.

“Here it's like you work 160 days a year and the other half a year you're on holiday,” she says. “You get to spend time with your family, do fun things, explore new lands.

“It's a great way to bring a family together, so I do encourage people who would like to travel and learn different ways of teaching and learning from across the world.”

Connor says hundreds of teachers are applying for international roles, with many coming from the United States. To stand out from the rest, Connor says, ensure that your CV highlights your skills, talents, experience and what you bring to the table.