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Massey hosts Samoan independence celebrations

Tuesday 5 June 2012, 10:44PM

By Massey University

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Samoan secondary school students raise the Samoan flag to celebrate Independence Day at the Albany campus.
Samoan secondary school students raise the Samoan flag to celebrate Independence Day at the Albany campus. Credit: Massey University
A traditional 'Ava ceremony held on the campus.
A traditional 'Ava ceremony held on the campus. Credit: Massey University

Around 300 Samoan secondary school students celebrated their nation’s 50-year anniversary of independence with festivities at Massey University’s Albany campus last Friday.

The year 13 students from 12 Auckland schools joined other prominent members of the Samoan community June 1 to mark 50 years since Samoa gained independence from New Zealand.

Samoan-born Ben Taufua, national project manager for Massey University’s Pasifika@Massey strategy, says “it’s an auspicious occasion for us to have so many of the Samoan community to come to the campus, and to help us celebrate”.

The celebrations were organised by the University and attending schools to provide Samoan students with the chance to commemorate the milestone together, as well as to mark the end of Samoan Language Week.

Celebrations began with a powhiri welcome, followed by a traditional ‘ava ceremony, an umu lunch (traditional Samoan earth oven), which the students prepared, and a live cross to Samoa as the students sang for a local Samoan radio station.

“It is a privilege that so many people made it to celebrate the occasion, “ Mr Taufua says. “In Samoa the day is huge, everyone is extremely proud to be Samoan, and for the University to be able hold celebrations with the community here in New Zealand is a very special honour”.