New Year Honours: Lighting the way for Pasifika people chasing their dreams

What started off as a small goal to help a few friends settle into a foreign country grew into what is now one of the biggest Pacific Island churches in Auckland.

More than 30 years later, the man who began helping new Pacific Island migrants settle into New Zealand life is being honoured for his services to the Pasifika community.

Toleafoa Kirisimasi Aiolupotea has been given the Queen's Service Medal in the New Year's Honours list - something that came as a complete surprise, he says.

"It was out of the blue but I'm so excited and humbled to get this award. Thank you so much to whoever nominated me for it."

The 68-year-old, who hails from Samoa, has been a well-known face and first point of contact for many in the Auckland - particularly South Auckland - Pacific community for the past 30 years.

Mr Aiolupotea stepped up to help his people after the huge influx of Pacific Island migrants that arrived in Auckland in the 1960s and 1970s.

"Those days, [there weren't] many Pasifika people and you don't know where to go. I used to be the travel agent, the one helping people at court - anything any Pasifika person needed, I would help.

"Later, it wasn't just Pacific people who came to me, but Indian, Asians too. And what can you do? Welcome them with open arms."

Mr Aiolupotea was made a Justice of the Peace in 1980.

He is a founding member of the Otara Pacific Island Church in South Auckland, where he now acts as the session clerk for the Cook Islands, Niuean and Samoan groups.

He is also an executive member of the Fono Samoa Pacific Island church synod and also served with the Pacific Island Church synod of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand.

With up to 2500 members of the congregation - around 150 of those making up the Sunday School - Mr Aiolupotea says it is young people who continue to inspire and motivate him to keep doing what he does.

"Us parents, we come here with nothing and with little education. But it is in the hope that our children achieve highly and live greater lives."