Utah delegation connecting across oceans with indigenous knowledge-sharing

A delegation from Brigham Young University are here on a cultural exchange to share knowledge and learn more about our career pathways and support for Māori and Pacific learners.

They were welcomed on to Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae on Monday, joining a pōwhiri for our School of Trades and Services Semester Two cohort.

Whaikōrero and kaihautū, Hohepa Renata spoke of Aotearoa’s close connection with the region as part of the Pacific Triangle, adding that it was an honour to host the group in our wharenui, Ngākau Māhaki as “brothers and sisters from Te Moana nui a Kiwa (Pacific Ocean)”.

The thirteen-strong delegation sang a beautiful Hawaiian waiata in response before introducing themselves.

The delegation is part of the Pacific Pathways Tour organised by the Utah-based Manuia Foundation. The tour is an initiative of cultural exchange, storytelling, and indigenous knowledge-sharing led by members of the delegation, who are artists, athletes, educators and alumni of the programme.

“We are grateful to be here to not just share our knowledge, but also find out more about the pathways available here in New Zealand. Hopefully, we can take back what we learn to improve our support for families and communities in the US,” says Geraldine Fitisemanu, Executive Director for the Manuia Foundation and Manager, Academic and Transition Support for Brigham Young University-Provo.

The Manuia Foundation was set up by Geraldine and her husband Alema in 2020 to support families in the Pacific communities by helping youth reach their potential through higher education. They do this by identifying and planning educational and career pathways for young people faced with financial barriers.

At Unitec, they met with ākonga and kaimahi from the Marae team, MAIA and the Pacific Centre, to talanoa and share knowledge, strategies and pathways for educational success from a cultural context. The visiting graduates of the Manuia Foundation also shared their inspiring educational journeys. The kōrero around identity and culture was aimed at strengthening those connections.

The visit came about after Associate Professor, Lefaoalii Dion Enari, spoke at a conference in BYU in June. From his conversations with students and faculty members there, he extended an invite for them to visit Unitec.

“For the past two months, I visited twelve different universities connecting with Māori and Pacific communities across America and Australia. This group hosted me when I spoke at BYU,” he explains.

“You’ll be surprised at how many Māori and Pacific peoples reside overseas and also holding senior posts in tertiary institutes and universities. When I was presenting over in the US, i still felt like I was here in Aotearoa because a lot of the students and lecturers that I encountered had whakapapa or history of their parents or grandparents coming from New Zealand.”

Lefaoalii says when he returned, he knew he had to find a way to connect these communities with ours in Aotearoa.

“It’s a beautiful opportunity to connect and the possible collaborations are endless because we are whānau first and foremost.”

For Fitisemanu, the visit is a homecoming for her as she was born in Auckland before migrating with her parents to the US in 1971. She returns accompanied by her two children, Nafanua, who studies mechanical engineering and captains the Harvard University women’s rugby team, and son Talavou, a heritage artist.

“It is our mission to let our youth know that there are options, that they have choices, and with that they can create something for themselves,” Fitisemanu says.

Lefaoalii hopes the cultural exchange with BYU is the first of many for Unitec and is keen to follow up some of the other conversations he struck up on his recent speaking tour of Australia and US.