President of the Fono Faufau Matai Samoa Canterbury, Lemusu Tauamiti says that their vision is for benefit the community at large and anyone who is eager to learn about their customs and heritage.    

“The Fono Faufautua Samoa is here to provide education and teaching around Samoan culture and language”  

   “We aim to build Samoan cultural programmes to support people with their identities.”  

  Each month the group hosts monthly cultural workshops that focus on the different dialects of the Samoan language and cultural protocols.    

“These workshops are delivered in a New Zealand context” says Tauamiti.   

  “The workshops provide young people here the opportunity to learn and practise their culture in a safe and supportive learning environment.”’   

  The Fono Faufautua Samoa works collaboratively with Pasifika Futures (PFL) to achieve shared objectives. The partnership is important to both organizations, as they collectively seek to support young Pasifika people in enhancing their lifestyles, futures and cultural identities. 

   “Pasifika Futures has been instrumental in supporting our community and our organisation to be able to deliver our cultural workshops, especially around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.:  

“We ran cultural workshops specifically around health and well-being and would always refer our community to the Etu Pasifika clinic and services who are also based here in Canterbury.”   

   “Pasifika Futures also sponsored the annual celebration of the Samoan Independence Day 2023 in Christchurch, bringing together 700 of the Samoan community to celebrate Samoan culture and language.” 

  “Not only do The Fono Faufautua Samoa provide support with workshops and education, they also address some of the more sensitive needs of the Pacific in Canterbury.”  

  “Our families are struggling with the general cost of living”    

“There is a struggle that falls between making enough to survive and also keeping up with the church and cultural obligations. We try to address these issues and help to focus on a family’s immediate needs rather than the latter.’  

  “Domestic and family violence is a huge issue and unfortunately is common. These families get referred to us from the Fraternity of Church Ministers in Christchurch and we do everything we can to support our Samoan families through this.’   

  The Fono Faufautua Samoa offer an array of initiatives that support the Pacific community and are determined to assist wherever possible.  

  The organization remains committed to instilling values, traditions and enhancing the language and speech of the different dialects, in the hopes of keeping the culture for the ever growing Samoan community in Canterbury.