Pacific peoples in Aotearoa
New Zealand
In this Talanoa paper, the term “Pacific peoples”
is used to describe people from all Pacific Islands
residing in Aotearoa New Zealand including smaller
migrant communities from Rotuma, Kiribati,
Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea
and Hawai’i. The terms “Pacific peoples”, “Pacific”,
or “Pasifika” are not intended to imply homogeneity
of those Pacific communities living in Aotearoa New
Zealand. Instead, they refer to population groups
with shared histories in the Pacific and Aotearoa
New Zealand, to strengthen the legitimacy of their
position in Aotearoa New Zealand. We also use the
term “Pākehā”, rather than Pacific peoples’ terms
such as “Papālagi” (Samoan), Pālagi (Niuean &
Tokelauan), Pālangi (Tongan) or Papa’ā (Kuki Āirani/
Rarotongan Māori). This is because it is the most
widely-used and recognised name to describe people
of European descent in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Pacific resilience through culture and spirit
Guided by values including relationships, care,
reciprocity, respect, family, community and
spirituality, Pacific cultures have endured over
centuries of change and challenge.
A traditional way of envisioning these relationships
focused on the imagery and complexities of village
life in the Pacific Islands, best depicted by the
fonofale, developed by Fuimaono Karl PulotuEndemann in the 1980s. In the fonofale, the fale
or home represents the foundation of the family
and protection of culture connected through
physical ties, spiritualities, mindsets and other
realms integrated into wider contexts of time and
environments. Pacific peoples recognise that life is
complex and interconnected.
Since the 1980s, the proportion of the community
born in Aotearoa New Zealand and born to New
Zealand-born parents have increased. At the 2018
FONOFALE
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Including:
Sexuality
Gender
Age
Socio-economic status
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Figure 1 – Fonofale model of Pacific cultural worldviews
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