Vasa Fia Collins stands by her man – the mural unveiling of her late husband and beloved community leader Fa’anānā Efeso Collins
Standing tall on the corner of Ronwood and Davies Avenue in Manukau is a mural of the late Fa’anānā Efeso Collins.
The former Auckland councillor and Green Party MP, 49, died after he collapsed at a charity fundraiser in Auckland last year.
One year on and his family still grieves his sudden passing.
“We miss him, we miss him in our home,” says Collins’ wife, Vasa Fia.
“For us it’s the little things you know, being seated at a table of four and there’s one empty seat and waking up in the morning and we don’t hear his laughter or his voice or his singing in the house.”
Family, friends and members of the wider community joined Vasa and their daughters Kaperiela and Asalemo to bless and unveil the special mural.
“He loved the community, he loved South Auckland, loved Pacific people and for him to be immortalised in this mural means the world to our family.” Collins says.
The artists, Charles and Janine Williams who painted the AT carpark concrete slabs, have known Fa‘anānā since they were in a church youth group together.
Artists Janine and Charles Williams Photo source: Charles Williams
“He was a big influence on us,” Charles says. So this was his way of memorialising his local champion.
“Having pillars in the community gone, how do we continue to remember them and their work and I didn’t want to forget him.”
The well known muralist got the support of Auckland council organisation Eke Panuku and the Ōtara-Papatoetoe local board with the blessing of the Collins aiga.
It took just over a week to complete the 7 story carpark which features a powerful quote from Fa‘anānā’s maiden speech when he entered parliament on February 15 2024.
“E lē tū fa‘amauga se tagata” – “No one stands alone. No one succeeds alone, and for me, no one suffers alone.”
Those words still resonate with fellow Green party MP Teanau Tuiono.
“He’s always going to be with us and it will remind people of his legacy and it will remind people of what he stood for and it’s that kind of leadership our young people can aspire for.”
It’s that legacy that Vasa is planning to uphold by creating a foundation to honour the proud Sāmoan/Tokelauan leader.
“He loved young people, he loved youth, he loved to mentor and he also loved the environment,” she says.
“He was passionate about Pacific peoples, he was passionate about indigenous rights so these are all the different things that we hope to explore in building, creating a foundation for him.”
