More than 82,000 people who identify as being Tongan live in New Zealand. Photo / Brett Phibbs
More than 82,000 people who identify as being Tongan live in New Zealand. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Mālō e lelei!
Tongan Language Week has officially kicked off and is encouraging the community to speak their mother tongue regularly in a bid to keep it alive.
This year’s theme is: E tu’uloa ‘a e lea faka-Tonga ‘o ka lea’aki ‘i api, siasi (lotu), mo e nofo-’a-kainga. Loosely translated, it means: The Tongan language will be sustainable if used at home, church and the wider community.
The word tu’uloa in the theme has positive connotations to grow, nurture and sustain an idea, event or memory in an enduring way.
Tongan fans were a highlight of the Rugby World Cup. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Minister for Pacific Peoples, Barbara Edmonds, said for our Pasifika communities, language is more than just a means of communication.
“It’s an important way to link generations and maintain connections to our ancestral roots.”
She acknowledged the local Tongan community’s work to maintain the language at a grassroots level - including speaking lea faka-Tonga at home and full cultural immersion initiatives that help to strengthen and maintain the language.
Keeping Tongan alive for the next generation
The latest figures from Statistics NZ show the Tongan community is the fastest-growing Pasifika population in New Zealand; with over 82,000 Tongans here.
“These statistics emphasise the need to understand lea faka-Tonga and use it as much as possible in the home, school, church and the wider community,” Edmonds said.
“The Government believes our Pacific communities are vital to the diversity and culture of New Zealand.”
A number of activities and celebrations have been organised throughout the week around the country; including speech competitions, dances, singing, lectures and arts and crafts.
There are events in Auckland, Lower Hutt, Dunedin and online. Tongan Language Weeks ends on Sunday.
