How to grow the next generation of Pasifika politicians

A Māori-Tonga councillor says “it’s disheartening" how little support there is for Pasifika local politicians.

Just a small number of Pasifika council representatives attended the Local Government NZ (LGNZ) conference this week, but Hutt City councillor Gabriel Tupou said he saw this as an opportunity for the community.

“We've got to get to the table first, and then once we're at the table to contribute to that decision-making, [we need to] support each other across the motu.”

Gabriel Tupou, Hutt City Councillor says he thinks the face of Pasifika at Local Government New Zealand was the withdrawal of Auckland City Council. Photo / LDR Mary Afemata

He said he was gutted to learn last year, from Ōamaru’s trailblazing Samoan Deputy Mayor Hana Halelele, there was no Pacific network of caucus.

This was further diminished by councils pulling their membership from LGNZ - the national body representing councils, including Auckland last year.

"I think what really changed the face of Pasifika here at Local Government New Zealand was the withdrawal of Auckland Council.

“There's Nerissa Henry [from Auckland’s Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board] and others that we've really worked with and drawn strength from and learned from each other over the years.”

The pool of Pacific politicians could be strengthened through sharing campaign strategies and networking, he said.

“We as Pasifika people, as Polynesian people, naturally have such a vast network in terms of whānau, in terms of our schools, our sports clubs, our church faith communities, that we don't realise the people power that we can harness to drive successful campaigns.”

But Tupou is also seeing this challenge as an opportunity.

“Here at the conference you can spot the Pasifika from a mile away - so it can be isolating,” he said.

“So I'll certainly be reaching out to establish some sort of Pasifika mechanism or network to support us.

“I think this is something that we're going to have to spearhead for the half a dozen of us that are here now, is to talanoa, and to wānanga, what that looks like and how we can support, in particular, our colleagues through no choice of their own, whose councils have been withdrawn from our LGNZ membership.”

Josiah Teokotai came to LGNZ hoping to link up and network with other Pacific people, and says they are stronger in numbers with their Pacific voice. Photo / LDR Mary Afemata

South Waikato councillor Josiah Teokotai, who is of both Māori and Cook Islands descent, said the lack of Pacific representation at a local government level is quite obvious.

“I was thinking about when I came here was to try and link up and network with other Pacific people.

“I've only seen or heard of about five or six of us. So very, very small. But I heard at the Māori networking hui on Tuesday they had 120-odd members.

“I'm really excited that I met the five others that were Pacific.”

But Teokotai says mentoring and succession planning are key factors in building the next generation of Pacific politicians - crediting former South Waikato councillor Joe Turia as someone he looked up to.

“I was lucky. I had a few mentors before myself,” he says.

“That's unheard of having a Pacific person in council. So I always kind of looked up towards [Joe] and others. Tua Numanga, who was a Cook Islander as well. He was on council for a little while. It' really opened my eyes to [what] a councillor does.”

He said while they are few in numbers present at the conference and represented in local government, together they are stronger and can do more professional development together.

“We can influence Pacific culture or Pacific views or Pacific lens into the council and have a collective kind of response to Pacific, especially in those councils who have big Pacific populations.

This includes Auckland and Wellington, which has larger pockets of Pacific populations, he said.

“It's really important that we try and network together because we're stronger and we get a voice."