A new fale at Papakura High School has been blessed and opened.
Made possible by a grant from the Trillian Trust, the fale honours the presence and place of the Pacific community within Papakura and the school.
Describing himself as the "palagi principal" John Rohs says the opening is a welcome moment in the school’s history. "It marks a new chapter in our connection with the Pasifika community."
Papakura Local Board chair Brent Catchpole says the building is much more than timber and cedar shingles.
“It’s a statement of inclusion. There is a magnificent marae and whare at the school and now a fale just metres away. To me it says 'this is your culture, this is my culture but in this place it is just our culture’.”
Board deputy chair Felicity Auva'a says the school plays a vital role in Papakura. "It is no secret that there have been difficulties in the past but this school is now on a great path and in a good place. The pride the students take in their school reflects that, and the fale is a message of inclusion from the school."
Labour MP Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki acknowledged the skill of the builders, and the craftsmanship needed to build a modern-day fale.
"If you were to upend a fale it would look like a boat. The symbolism is that the bottom of the boat has become the roof of the fale, giving us shelter where we have travelled to and arrived at.
"It is not a Tongan or a Samoan fale, it is a fale Pasifika, and it marks our place here and says all are welcome, just as the marae for our Māori cousins says the same thing."
Mr Rohs says the fale is central to Pacific culture and its presence near the marae puts it at the heart of the school community too.
"These are not just buildings, these are places that make a statement about who we are, and our sense of belonging in this place."
