Who are you and where do you hail from? Talofa lava, my name is Uputaua Suemai - otherwise known as Taua. I was born and raised in New Zealand to parents of Samoan descent. My father comes from the village of Leauvaa in Upolu, Samoa and my mother comes from the villages of Manunu, Upolu and Fagamalo, Savaii. I am very proud to identify as a NZ-born Samoan.

Why work with youth, why work in the community? As a teen in search for that career leaving school, I wanted to be a physiotherapist. After 3 failed attempts to get into the school and becoming a physio assistant it was not my passion at all! I slowly found myself walking down the path of teaching. Having taught for over 15 years in a variety of capacities, my moments of joy came from when I saw young peoples’ eyes light up when they “got it”. These moments led to a developing passion for creating programs or mediums that would support the self-discovery, leadership and wellbeing development of young people.

And why the community? Because that’s where our young people and families are - relationships are foundational to the success of any of our work and you can’t build and foster relationships from the periphery. You need to be integrated and a living part of the very community you wish to serve. 

What do you value most about your culture? I really value our ‘alaga upu’ or proverbs from our Pasifika cultures. These proverbs carry so much wisdom in them and are enveloped in beautiful and powerful words.

One of my favourite Samoan proverbs is “Ua faapopō aso ūa, ae le tuua aso folau” which translates as “to sail is imperative, so too is to negotiate the elements”. Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta’isi Efi explains this as such: “The challenges of navigating 21st century global politics are not that different to the challenges of navigating our oceans. In both cases we need a sturdy boat, an anchor, sailing skills and knowledge of the environment; we need to know when and where to anchor, when to set sail and when not to” [1], and this mirrors the evolving 21st century challenges our young people face and the need to be skilled to journey alongside them. 

Fun fact: I have flown around the earth twice in one year - anti-clockwise (NZ-US-UK-Asia-NZ). Apparently it makes you more jet lagged than going the other way.

Soifua ma ia manuia (live well and be blessed).

[1] Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta’isi Efi Head of State of the Independent State of Samoa EPLD Conference, Satuimalufilufi, Samoa 12 March 2010