Uni chaplain heads Pacific panel for Super City

Uesifili Unasa. Photo / Supplied

The Super City's Pacific People's Advisory Panel has elected a chaplain as its chairman.

The Rev Uesifili UNasa was last week chosen to stand as the chairman for the panel, which will advise Auckland Mayor Len Brown and the council on issues within the Pacific community.

Mr UNasa has been a minister of the Methodist church for more than 20 years.

He is based at the University of Auckland's Maclaurin Chapel, where he has been for seven years.

Although a man of the church, Mr UNasa also did courses in political studies at the university during the 1990s.

He said his role as a minister encouraged him to look at moving to become involved in the Pacific People's Advisory Panel.

"Because I'm in the church, I think it's really important to be involved in the community in another way; in terms of decision-making and coming up with strategies at a local government level.

"That's why I think my role is so important. I'm not only engaging with the university and the community in church, but also with the wider public through the panel and ultimately the council."

Mr UNasa said he was happy to be working with a group of people who were bringing in various experiences and knowledge.

The panel's eight other members are Orchid Atimalala, Sione Tuitahi, Robert Woonton, Monique Faleafa, Stephen Stehlin, Sina Aiolupotea-Aiono, Richard Pamatatau and Filemoni Timoteo.

The group covers a range of professions, including qualified town planners, a clinical psychologist, a journalist, an educator and a television producer.

Mr UNasa said the calibre of the group was something that would ensure decisions surrounding the Pacific community in Auckland were made with a clear knowledge of how that community would be affected.

Affordable housing and education - particularly early childhood education - were two issues at the forefront for the panel, Mr UNasa said.

"I think the main issue for us is making sure that the concerns of the Pacific community are being heard and also understood by the Auckland Council," he said.

Town planner Orchid Atimalala will be the vice-chairwoman for the panel.

Ms Atimalala, who owns a planning consulting company, says she hopes to help make sure city is built with Pacific communities - as well as others - in mind.

"The whole time that I've been a planner, the Pacific voice is not heard often," shesaid.

"I don't know if that's because our people don't understand how those processes work or what.

"The way our cities are laid out are determined by local government.

"For once I felt like I wanted to help in the decision-making process."