It was a night filled with cultural pride, reflection and celebration as guests gathered in their Sunday best to celebrate 50 years of the University of Auckland’s Samoan Students’ Association (UASSA).
The jubilee dinner was held at the Ellerslie Events Centre recently, where alumni and current members reflected on their respective journeys in UASSA.
It was also a night of celebrating the impact Samoans have contributed to the University of Auckland (UoA).
The first ever Pacific graduate at UoA was Samoan lawyer Olive Virginia Malienafau Nelson who obtained a Bachelor of Law in 1936. In September this year, Samoan Toleafoa Sarah Sala Va’afusuaga McRobie became the first Pacific person to graduate with a PhD in Education from UoA’s School of Counselling.
It is without a doubt that Samoans who are pursuing tertiary studies in UoA are paving the way for future generations and inspiring a new wave of Pacific scholars and leaders.
Founded by members including Lynne-Marie and Kilifoti Eteuati in 1974, UASSA was originally established to support scholarship students from Samoa in navigating university and their studies away from home.
What started with less than 20 members has now flourished into a hub accumulating more than 500 members.
Cultural connection and academic support are the primary pillars of the association, offering a variety of engaging initiatives, including study fono (forum), cultural evenings, prayer worship evenings and sports days. These services foster a sense of community and connection where members get to share and learn about the Samoan culture and engage with those who are on similar educational pathways.
“[UASSA] gives us a connection to our homeland,” says current UASSA Vice-President Holly Tere.
“UASSA is a safe space for all Polynesian kids. We don’t just stick to Samoans; we also invite other ethnicities to come and learn more about our culture. It just brings a sense of community and a sense of belonging, especially for our, well um students like myself who don’t know a lot about our culture.”
With 50 years of impactful presence, alums like Tim Baice have noticed the changes within leadership and priorities within the association.
Tim joined UASSA at the end of 2006 and served as president in 2009 until 2011. During his term, attending the annual inter-university so’otaga – the “Polyfest” of universities – was top priority. However, in today’s UASSA, the so’otaga was no longer a focal point.
“It was just interesting hearing what they sort of prioritise from when we have done in the past,” Tim says.
“When I spoke to the new exec team, they were just like, oh we didn’t go to the so’o this year, we didn’t go so’o last year, and they sort of have a different perception of it.”
Tim acknowledges the stigma associated with tertiary cultural groups, and being the UASSA president for 3 years meant he had a mission to overturn this.
“A common narrative is that they’re sort of wasting time and people just go to ka’a (hang around) and don’t pass and don’t graduate,” Tim says.
“And so, when we met and reimagined the asosi (association) in 2009, we had that sort of pressure in the back of our minds. You know, we really wanted to sort of retain the cultural and the social focus but also enhance the academic focus which is the real reason why we’re all there right?”
Building on the foundation established by Tim and his executive team, UASSA has implemented social and academic resources to better assist their current students.
Holly says their study fonos’ occur regularly with the aim of having at least ten throughout the year or per semester. Additionally, they have a cultural officer who offers language and siva classes.
Current UASSA member Fesolai Jennifer Setefano mentions the asosi are engaged in a project called Tautua, which aims to provide support for Samoans in Samoa to come to New Zealand to pursue tertiary studies.
For Jennifer, joining UASSA has been rewarding.
“I aspire to be knowledgeable in my culture. I wanted to connect with other tamaita’i Samoa and tamaiti Samoa to learn and be knowledgeable about the things that I don’t know of being a NZ born Samoan,” she says.
“I feel like sometimes in homes, some students don’t get the chance to learn the language. They don’t get to see what their culture is about and so when they come to university, that’s their chance to learn about their culture, to learn about their language and to just connect.”
Being a part of a cultural group can also ease the nerves that come with being a first-year tertiary student.
“We have to remember that for a lot of our young Samoans that come through, this journey takes place when they’re just trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be,” Tim says.
“I think there’s real merit and real value in having student-led and student eccentric spaces where they can be free to sort of create their own pathway and their own meaning.”
Looking ahead, UASSA is focused on strengthening its presence within UoA to better support students and promote cultural understanding.
“I sort of hope the association remains an adaptable space. Different generations will come in with different intentions and different priorities um, it should be open enough for people to come in and do what’s important to them but also maintain the integrity of the association and why they’re there in the first place as university students.”
