What is something you’re proud of?

Nia | Tāmaki Makaurau

Nia shares her passion for Tongan dance and language as a powerful way to build belonging and cultural pride among young Tongans in Aotearoa.

“I come from the islands, I was raised in community and a big thing that’s important to me is creating spaces of belonging. A big, proud moment for me is kind of scattered throughout the last few years of my life. But I love – and I’m really good at – drawing from my own experience, creating spaces of belonging for people. Connected to belonging,

I love to dance, especially Tongan, but any type of dance really. In Tongan culture, the village that I’m from in Lapaha, is known for Tongan cultural dancing. So any dancing, any Tongan music, I’m always wanting to dance or tau’olunga.

One of my proudest moments was here, when I moved here in high school. I went to Marist College, which didn’t have a lot of knowledge around dance and learning it properly and speaking the language. A big part of my – I guess it was a goal, but it was also a vision – was to share as much of the dance and the language as I could. Because a lot of Tongan young people who grew up in Aotearoa might feel a sense of belonging to Aotearoa but not to where they were from in Tonga.

Even just by language or dancing or listening or connecting to that. Once you feel connected, when you’re speaking your language so naturally, so openly, there’s a vulnerability in it, in that it’s raw. And it’s a gift for me when I can speak in Tongan and just… I feel like if you can see me for my truest expression… there’s something in it when people see you in that state and go, ‘Oh that’s it, we see you in all your entirety and in your wholeheartedly authentic self.'”