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More ethnic diversity in key strategic positions, providing different perspectives to reflect the wider community and extra Covid-19 support are among the areas of concern for Dunedin city councillor Marie Laufiso and city councillor for the Oamaru Ward in the Waitaki district, Hana Halalele
Both have already made history by becoming the first Pasifika women city councillors in their areas – Marie became the first Pasifika Green Party candidate to be elected to the Dunedin council when she first stood in 2016 and Hana the first Pasifika councillor for Waitaki in the 2019 elections.
Marie and Hana acknowledge that, while it is a privilege and honour to be elected into these positions, they understand the importance of representation for not just Pasifika but the wider community.
Now into her second term, Marie says it is important to know and understand how local government works for your region. She says she is realistic about the system she has to work within.
“It’s a very bureaucratic system, so some days when we make decisions around the council table they will take months to get action and then surprisingly some things will happen really fast – but that’s not often – so you have to be patient and you have to be clear that it is going to take time,” Marie says.
“When you’re making decisions or participating in that process you’ve got to understand the long-term implications of your vote.”
Hana says she is acutely aware of the importance of having a voice at council level.
“I think one of the important things is just being able to share a different perspective and being able to be part of a more inclusive, diverse part of the decision-making process and sharing experiences that our Pacifica and other migrant groups have who may not necessarily be heard, first hand perhaps, at the council table.”
Having a voice around the table has played a vital part in their role over the past two years as the world continues to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Marie says Covid highlighted issues in the region that Pasifika and Maori have long dealt with and continue to live with.
“Covid has really just exacerbated the inequities inflicted on Tangata Whenua for almost two centuries and Pasifika people and the inequity of access to jobs and well-being for people with disabilities and of course the young and the old.”
Marie says that, despite Dunedin being known as a “university city”, Covid showed the glaring gaps, in particular, with Pasifika students.
“They didn’t have their own devices; didn’t have their own laptops or tablets and they relied heavily on the University, or maybe Polytech, computer labs to get their work done.
“I know that the Universities support staff and lecturers and Pasifika support staff had to rush around and get access to tablets for these young people to work from home,” Marie says.
She also says, it was not only tertiary students affected, Pasifika families felt the impact with having only limited access to devices per household.
However Marie takes heart in the resilience the community has shown and continues to show during the pandemic.
“It’s both meeting those short-term needs for extra food assistance, but it’s also looking at systemic stuff and that’s going to take a little longer to repair.”
Hana says their community has definitely felt the full impact of Covid-19.
“We’ve been waiting for a couple of years for Covid to reach here… we are delivering welfare services for families that are self-isolating here not just for Pasifika people but for non-Pasifka people across the whole district,” Hana says.
With only a small team of eight core staff, she says the need is great.
“We are supporting over 500 people that are isolating at the moment and then delivering food parcels and also just taking care of ourselves and our families.
“It’s good work. I’m glad it’s something that, as Pasifika, we thrive on doing and a lot of it is included as volunteer work and then just leveraging on our community networks as well.”
Hana says it has been important to cultivate relationships with the government agencies, particularly the Ministry for Pacific Peoples, Social Development, Education and Health.
“Making sure that we don’t get forgotten and then ensuring that the issues in the regions are just as important as those issues in the metro areas.”
Despite the challenges, Marie and Hana reflect on the positives.
One of Marie’s highlights was organising a meeting of Pasifika people to meet the Mayor, the late David Cull.
She was also part of the team to organise a civic reception for former Prime Minister of Samoa Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi in 2018.
For Hana she says having a place at the table is a key step.
“Just being part of the whole council process, being part of different community projects and events and just having a brown face at the table for me has been really important. If they don’t see it, they can’t be it,” she says.
Both councillors will be standing again in the up coming local government elections, which is eight months away.
Marie says she would like to see more investment into three key areas to do with the care and wellbeing of children and young people in Dunedin.
“Because we’re a university city, you know university students get catered to far, far more often and to a greater extent than children who are born or raised here. So there’s a whole lot of work to do in that respect,” she says..
“No homelessness of any kind and, my third one, more ethnic diversity in key strategic positions in the city.”
Hana would like to see more education around local government introduced into schools to encourage children to understand what it means and why it is important to vote.
“So just starting off at a young age, encouraging them to to take part, voicing their thoughts and their opinions and just including that as part of their everyday learning in their curriculum,” Hana says.
Both councillor’s are realistic about what can be achieved during their term and both understand there is a lot to unpack at the council level; long hours, lots of debates, and a lot needs to be done.
But for now, the work continues with their communities and residents for the council women in the Deep South.
