Constable Gerard Pambuai is proud to be from Papua New Guinea and uses his linguistic skills to spread safety messages for that community in New Zealand. Video / Mike Scott
It’s been announced that New Zealand will have its very first Papua New Guinea Pidgin language week in October. It means a lot to the small community that speaks and treasures the language here. Vaimoana Mase reports.
Waikato Constable Gerard Pambuai’s two children know when their mum means business - she starts speaking in another language.
“My wife is Pākehā but spent time in Papua New Guinea. My kids know when she’s serious because she brings out the hard Pidgin,” he laughs.
The 41-year-old hails from Papua New Guinea, where he was born and raised before moving to New Zealand in his teenage years to attend school at Hamilton Boys’ High.
He still lives in Hamilton - with wife Clare, a 9-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter - and works as a police officer in the Waikato district.
This year marks the first time there will be a Papua New Guinea Pidgin or Tok Pisin Language Week - one of 11 Pacific language weeks highlighted throughout the year as a way to help promote the learning and maintaining of Pacific languages in New Zealand.
Heading to M'Buke Island, in the Manus Province of Papua New Guinea. Gerard Pambuai's late father, Selan Pambuai, was from M'Buke. Photo / Gerard Pambuai
The initiative, by the Ministry of Pacific Peoples, highlights the languages from Rotuma, Samoa, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Fiji, Niue, Tokelau, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
They have also added a Solomon Islands Pidgin Language Week.
Pambuai said he is excited to see his first language honoured. It’s particularly special because the PNG population - like the Solomon Islands population - is small in New Zealand compared to other Pasifika cultures.
In the 2018 Census, 1131 people identified as being of Papua New Guinean descent. They are part of a 381,642-strong population of Pacific peoples living in Aotearoa.
“It’s not a culture that you’d see at a Polyfest, or [even] at a Melanesian festival. You look at the news - the weather reports, they never talk about Papua New Guinea.
Constable Gerard Pambuai pictured on his graduation day with his mother, Hane Pambuai, wife Clare Pambuai and the couple's two children.
“I don’t think a lot of people know where Papua New Guinea is. True story - I bump into people and the first thing they say is: ‘Bula’.”
The official languages in PNG are English, Tok Pisin (Papua New Guinea Pidgin), Hiri Motu and Papua New Guinean Sign Language.
Pambuai can speak PNG Pidgin and Motu, which is the language used mostly within the nation’s capital city: Port Moresby.
His linguistic skills are valued by the police, who used Pambuai to send out safety messages to the PNG community during Covid-19 lockdowns.
Clare Pambuai pictured with sister-in-law Ikanau Pambuai and a young niece in Papua New Guinea. They are marked with the traditional Motuan reva reva (tattoo) for a special occasion.
Helping his community
Pambuai keeps his language and heritage alive by teaching his children the words for everyday items at home - although his daughter mixes it up with te reo Māori. They also regularly attend Melanesian festivals held in the community.
Constable Gerard Pambuai, 41, hails from Papua New Guinea and has lived in Hamilton since he was in high school. Photo / Mike Scott
Pambuai said he hoped other Papua New Guineans in New Zealand would see him as a person from their community who can help, specifically if language is a barrier.
“The experience of police in Papua New Guinea is very different in the islands, as you can imagine. I’d like to think I try and create a positive experience for them to be able to not be afraid to reach out.
“I like to think that I’m a point of contact if anyone in my community needs help.”
Life in the islands. Gerard Pambuai (middle) with friends and family members in Papua New Guinea.
Vaimoana Mase is the Pasifika editor for the Herald’s Talanoa section, sharing stories from the Pacific community. She won junior reporter of the year at the then Qantas Media Awards in 2010 and picked up the best opinion writing award at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards.
