‘Keep us close’: Pacific leaders plea to Government ministers

Pacific leaders are urging the Government to recognise their community’s cultural strength and economic contribution to Aotearoa.

Cook Islands Language Week launched this week at Te Oro, the community arts hub in Glen Innes, Auckland.

The event burst into colour and sound as Cook Islands drums echoed through the hall and a wave of vibrant ei katu, traditional attire, and Pacific pride filled the space.

Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board chair Maria Meredith says the event reflects the community’s resilience and diversity.

“It’s about bringing all communities together, and for the first time, we’ve had senior members of Parliament attend our celebration.

“It really elevates the occasion.”

Josephine Bartley and Maria Meredith celebrate Cook Islands Language Week, highlighting civic leadership, representation, and resilience. Photo/PMN News Mary Afemata

The 10th annual Language Week launch also marked 60 years of self-government and free association with New Zealand.

Local leaders, youth, and cultural advocates joined ministers Winston Peters, Dr Shane Reti and Carmel Sepuloni to mark the milestone.

Meredith used the platform to highlight ongoing challenges, noting that 46 per cent of families in the Maungakiekie-Tāmaki area face deprivation, with some suburbs recording rates as high as 97 per cent.

“Our communities are rich in spirit and have potential, but we also need support,” she says.

“Keep us close, not just in your hearts, but in your decisions and policies.”

Josephine Bartley, Maungakiekie Ward councillor, pushed back on comments by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at the event about New Zealand’s support for the Cook Islands.

“He talks about what New Zealand does for the Cook Islands, but not about what Cook Islands people and Pasifika contribute here,” Bartley says.

“We are taxpayers too. We’ve been lifting the economy since the 1950s, from the wharves to the factories.

“In Auckland alone, 66 per cent of port workers are Pasifika, many from Tuvalu.

“Pasifika individuals and businesses contribute $8 billion to New Zealand’s annual GDP, according to a 2018 Treasury report - we need to recognise that.”

Youth MPs Tyler Oruranu and Kaiata Kaitao share reflections on identity, culture, and the legacy of their grandmothers at the Cook Islands Language Week launch. Photo/PMN News Mary Afemata

Youth MPs Kaiata Kaitao, 18, and Tyler Oruranu, 19, also shared personal reflections on identity and the legacy of their grandmothers.

“The most important guests today were our mamas and papas,” Kaitao says.

“The people in the audience who’ve been working for the language their entire lives, like Mama Tupou, who teaches her own classes – they’re the ones who made this day special.”

Kaitao says it is the greatest honour of her life to still have her grandmother, Berry Rangi, a skilled tivaevae maker and fluent speaker.

Oruranu reflected on the influence of his late grandmother and great-grandmother.

“They were powerful women who taught me how to sing Cook Islands songs, dance, crochet, and put ei[katu]’s together.

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters acknowledges 60 years of self-government and the enduring cultural ties between the Cook Islands and New Zealand. Photo/PMN News Mary Afemata

“Looking around the room, I can see them in this space – and I hope they’re here celebrating with us.”

The pair say preserving traditional arts such as tivaevae is essential for future generations.

Foreign Affairs Minister Peters acknowledged the 60-year constitutional relationship and the Cook Islands community’s cultural contribution to New Zealand.

“This is not just a celebration, but a declaration that our language, our culture and our identity are alive, vibrant and unshaken,” he says.

“To our young people, know that you are the people of the Cook Islands, no matter where you were born.

“Your language, your roots, your identity – they are treasures that belong to you.”

Reti, Minister for Pacific Peoples, confirmed ongoing government support for language revitalisation, education scholarships, and Pacific-led businesses.

But for Meredith, the celebration was also a call to action.

“Our communities are rich in spirit and have potential, but we also are in need of support. Keep us close, not just in your hearts, but in your decisions and in your policies,” she says.

“When we stay connected to culture and community, we build resilience, but we also need to connect our people to employment, housing, education, healthcare and opportunity.

“This is how we uplift not just the reo, but the whole whānau. This is how we truly honour the offerings of our people.”

- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.