La’u Penina Tautele

‘I will always remember the last words my parents said to me before I came here: “Don’t forget who you are.” I’m proud of who I am. I’m proud to be Sāmoan.’

‘O le ā ‘ou manatua pea ‘upu mulimuli a oʻu matua iā te aʻu ‘ae ‘ou te leʻi sau i’inei: “Aua neʻi e fa’agaloina oe.” ‘Ou te mitamita lava iā te aʻu. ‘Ou te mitamita ona o a’u o le Sāmoa.’

In La’u Penina Tautele, 11 young people from Tangaroa College in Ōtara, South Auckland, share how they stay connected to their culture, though they’re far from home.

The young writers worked with teacher-writer David Riley to select objects that represent who they are as Pacific young people, and to tell stories about them in English and Sāmoan.

You’ll be inspired to read about how proud these youth are of their identity – it’s a penina tautele to them, a pearl of great price.

Look inside the book by clicking here: