From the moment Maepa La’auli Saolotoga (pictured) set foot in Aotearoa New Zealand seven years ago, she wondered how she would make the transition from life in Samoa.
Studying in New Zealand and making the most of the opportunities presented to her, has shone light on how to not only exist in Aotearoa, but how to thrive.
Hailing from the villages of Samusu Aleipata, Sama’ilauano Falelatai and Vailima, the 22-year-old grew up in Apia, before moving to New Zealand to finish secondary school at Naenae College, in Lower Hutt.
The third year Victoria University Arts student says she found her passion for cultures when she first started her bachelor’s degree, majoring in Pacific and Samoa studies.
“When I started my first Pacific studies paper PASI101, I was exposed to many things around the Pacific that made me want to connect and engage more with Pacific indigenous tools for learning,” Maepa says.
Maepa is a firm believer of grabbing hold of every opportunity presented to her, such as the Nga Hoe a Kupe Pathfinder Scholarship, which enabled her to continue her tertiary studies, and most recently, accepting a TupuToa internship at the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP).
TupuToa is an employment pathway providing professional opportunities for Pacific and Māori tertiary students in corporate, government and community organisations, facilitated by securing 12-week paid-internships with partner organisations.
The desire is for the internship to convert into fulltime employment once the interns graduate.
“TupuToa has given me the opportunity to continue my growth and learning about the Pacific working as an intern at MPP…it has helped me reflect on why and how I could serve and influence Pacific Aotearoa, especially our young people.”
Maepa is one of five interns joining MPP over the summer, and she aims to make the most of the unique opportunity to work with the Central Partnerships team.
“I am hoping to gain knowledge and deep understanding about MPP and how it combines purpose and Pacific values into its mahi,” she says.
“While the beauty of our languages and cultures are still alive today, we need to place importance on indigenous learnings and cultures and keep trying to integrate Pacific languages in the communities and education across Aotearoa.”
Visit the TupuToa website for more information.