Local Fiefia Evening an ‘emotional’ experience

EVEN as a newcomer to Otago, watching the children at the annual North Otago schools Fiefia Evening in Oamaru was ‘‘quite an emotional’’ experience for one invited speaker on the night.

University of Otago lecturer Dr Telesia Kalavite, who worked in Tonga for 23 years before migrating to New Zealand, said the night of ‘‘celebrating our culture, our dance, our indigenous knowledge, or Pacific knowledge’’ was important for young Pasifika children born in New Zealand.

Those who received awards on the night honoured their parents, their church, and their community, but ‘‘every one of us are successful in our own ways’’.

‘‘I think we all have our own stories, and success stories, and I think with Pacific peoples we learn with love, we work with love.

‘‘We learn from our own parents, we do what we need to do.

‘‘Tonight I am so happy to be here, to celebrate with everyone, and it’s not only those with awards, it is all of us, when we are here we are all successful ourselves.’’

North Otago Pasifika Cluster chairwoman Shannon Moore welcomed the crowd of about 200 to the Waitaki Community Recreation Centre to watch the more than 150 pupils from eight Oamaru schools perform.

Each principal handed out two ‘‘awards of excellence’’ to pupils from their respective schools.

PHOTOS: HAMISH MACLEAN Celebration . . . Year 11 Waitaki Girls’ High School pupil Sinamoni Sikei, of Oamaru, performs at the North Otago Schools Fiefia Evening at the Waitaki Community Recreation Centre on Thursday.

Pasifika future . . . Oamaru North School pupils perform at the Fiefia Evening at the Waitaki Community Recreation Centre in Oamaru.