Talanoa Night a Success

Mālō e lelei, talofa lava, taloha ni, kia orana, fakaalofa lahi atu, ni sa bula and warm Pacific greetings.

On Wednesday 22 March, we were very fortunate to host our very first Talanoa Night for the year. The purpose of Talanoa is to provide an opportunity for our Pasifika students and aiga to gather together to connect through their passion for Pasifika values, celebrate the journeys and successes of our students, and explore identity as young aspiring Pasifika leaders in New Zealand.

This event was hosted by our incredible team of empowering Pasifika leaders for 2023: Miracle Manase, Simione Nau, Janae-ann Pasi, Eunice Lomiga, Bishopric George, and Myra Singh. We were very lucky to have been accompanied by over 40 students, parents and teachers who took this opportunity as a chance to connect over their passion for our Pasifika culture. The night consisted of some motivational words from our Principal Mr Williams, as well as Mr ‘Aminiasi Kefu, a representative on the Pakuranga College Board.

Highlights of the night consisted of exciting activities our Pasikifa Leaders delivered such as some competitive rounds of Bus Stop, a smoking barbeque made by our very own talented Mr Emosi, and a powerful performance and speech presented by our very own Janae-ann Pasi who represented our school at Polyfest on the Samoan stage. It was also great to see lots of engagement from both our students and aiga as they engaged in some round-robin questions where some wise advice was shared by our Pasifika aiga.

Being able to see the passion and support our Pakuranga College community brought to Talanoa Night was beyond amazing. This event was one to remember and our Pasifika Leaders and Development Team are absolutely stoked to see what Term 2 holds in store for our Pasifika community!

Myra Singh – Year 13