Te Mana Whenua o tēnei rohe, Tēnā koutou Katoa,
Tēnā Koutou Katoa
Ko Sāmoa me Tonga ngā wāhi o ōku Tupuna.
Ko Fa’amoe, Lū, Tua’i, Faualō, Ivala, Laufiso ngā whānau
Ko Agnes (Eti) Ivala tōku Māma, Ko Mikaele Laufiso tōku Papa. Kua mate a Eti i te tau rua mano iwa.
Ko Phillippa, Cesilia rātou Filomena ōku teina.
Ko Michael rāua ko Mafutaga ōku tungāne. Kua mate a Michael i te tau rua mano tekau mā ono.
Ko Rosalie rāua ko Nāomi ōku teina Ivala.
Ko Marie Laufiso ahau.
I whānau mai mātou i te Ōtepōti a, ko nuinga o mātou e noho ana ei konei.
Mo mātou katoa ko Brockville te kainga.
2016-2019 * First-term Dunedin City Councillor (Dunedin Greens)
1982-2016 * Voluntary or Paid positions: Young P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A., Ōtepoti Black Women’s Group, Dunedin Anti-`Racism Coalition, Te Whānau a Matariki (Nuclear-Free and Independent Pacific issues group). Corso Dunedin, Corso Pacific Projects Committee, Beams ‘N’ Specks (Decolonisation workshops), Corso Inc., Network Waitangi, Freedom Roadworks, P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A. Inc., Brockville Community Support Trust, Pāsefika Study Support Group (Brockville), Brockville Community Development Project, Otago Mental - Health Support Trust Ì BA - Pacific Islands’ Studies (2010), Diploma in Adult Education (2013)
1963-1981 * Attended Brockville School, Kenmure Intermediate, Kaikorai Valley High School and Otago Girls High School (1981).* Raised in Brockville alongside 4 of 5 younger siblings and 2 Ivala cousins – 8 first-generation Dunedin-born-and-raised Sāmoans with a Tongan Great-Grandmother.
* Sāmoan values of hard work/tautua (service), fa’aaloalo (deep respect) and alofa for Parents, Elders and ‘Aiga (family). Throughout this time, our Parents were themselves serving in positions of responsibility within the Dunedin Catholic Sāmoan Community and P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A. Incorporated – thus, as their children, we also served in such organisations.
