Pacific citizens: Though 50 years ago there was not much contact ...

Pacific Cooperation Foundation: Just as the Asia 2000 Foundation was ...

Tackling Pacific Island problems from within the Parliament: Strategic thinking about ...

The agenda: THEN: Social issues were important ...

Improving partnership: There is a need to revive the Pacific Islands ...

Tackling blindness among Pacific peoples: Tongan public health specialist ...

HIV AIDS - moral and medical solutions: Public health and other policy planners...

Tongan job solution: Managed employment is a Tongan New Zealander's private ...

The new tertiary landscape - what's in it for Pacific peoples?: Education is ...

Making good citizens: In our Pacific region, and elsewhere in the world ...

Involving Pacific peoples in local decisionmaking: The question all New Zealand ...

Tangata Pasifika? Michael Powles, who has worked ...

Endorsing good governance: Former New Zealand career diplomat Gordon Schroff ...

Need not be conflict: Issues in Pacific governance - where one size does not ...

Cooperation wins: Greater regional cooperation on common issues might ...

APEC and PECC: Though New Zealand seeks to be a good international ...

Advocacy on market access: The Pacific Islands Trade and Investment ...

Being Pa'alagi: The Being Pa'alagi programme, in which I looked back ...

Collaboration key to achieving vision: The vision of the Ministry of ...

Talk to all pacific cultures with one voice:
Ethnic Communications

Tangata Pasifika?

Michael Powles, who has worked in the Pacific and now chairs the Pacific Cooperation Foundation, in accentuating the option for New Zealand (and interested Pacific neighbours) to contemplate being Tangata Pasifika says “this approach is not to take anything away – we will still be New Zealanders”.
Some will see themselves as Pa’alagi, some as Pakeha, some as Māori and so forth.

University of the South Pacific philosopher and Tongan national Dr Epeli Hao’ofa’s writings about the sense of identity of all races who border the ocean has led Powles and others to talk of a sense of Tangata Pasifika identity.
This in turn could increase the scope for collaboration and cooperation on a more considered and institutionalised basis by governments and people.
The idea of Tangata Pasifika, building on Dr Hau’ofa’s view in his A Sea of Islands, is about people who border the Pacific and have the beginning of a sense of identity from their Pacificness.

What’s in a name?

Speakers at the 7th Pacific Language Forum – Te Vaka Reo – used ‘te moana nui a kiwa’ in a range of dialects to express an inclusive concept for people who live in this ocean environment.

Te Vaka Reo – the phrase chosen by consensus by Polynesians who gathered at the Victoria University of Wellington marae in July 2003 – groups people with a commitment to revitalisation of Polynesian languages.

Language specialists interested in about 40 Polynesian dialects intensified their individual and collective efforts to record old and add new words, helped by monolingual dictionary projects, a computerised database and plans for a Te Vaka Reo website.

Te moana nui a kiwa, in its different dialects, had meaning for the Polynesians sharing their knowledge – but may be less well known in Pa’alagi circles. Tangata Pasifika may be a clearer phrase for people predominantly using English, but the imported content may be less acceptable to Polynesian dialect specialists.

Tangata Pasifika may be a stepping stone to an inclusive phrase that Polynesian people seeking to revitalise their languages, and people of differing ‘Pa’alagi’ background who wish to be included with people of different ‘Polynesian’ backgrounds, may use with ease.

TV’s use of Tangata Pasifika in New Zealand Aotearoa helps popularise the phrase.
Published 3rd qtr, 2003

New Zealanders should explore being Tangata Pasifika in addition to their national identity.

By Anthony Haas

Affiliated programs Sitemap Privacy Accessibility Terms of use

Search powered by

Copyright © 2006 Asia Pacific Economic News Ltd. All rights reserved. Users of the Guide are free to make copies or entire pages for personal or educational use, but not for commercial purposes. Copies of individual photos or ilustrations may not be made without the permission of the copyright holders. Use of this website signifies your agreement to the Terms of Use.