At a recent fono (meeting) hosted by Auckland Council’s Pacific People’s Advisory Panel, members urged more Pasifika to participate.
A youth representative at the fono, 15-year-old Uelese Jason Motusaga from Whau Youth Board, said representation for the Pasifika community “means everything”.
“Otherwise, who is the next generation going to depend on if we're not the ones taking action?” Uelese asked.
Participants, including panel members, youth leaders and elected members agreed that low voter turnout among Pasifika needs to be addressed by improving awareness and building better connections with community through those in leadership.
In the 2022 local elections, voter turnout averaged 26-32% in areas of Auckland with the highest proportion of Pacific population, below the overall Auckland average of 35.5%.
What do we do about this?
The Electoral Commission’s Erin Temu, who presented Pasifika statistics at the fono, explained the opportunities to increase equitable voter turnout.
“The first opportunity is to get people to stand as leaders, because once we see our faces in the system, we will respond to the system,” Erin said.
“And the other thing is to encourage people to get out and vote. We have a population that now has a lot more influence, so we need to believe we can mobilise people to prioritise voting.”
There is also opportunity given that democracy is not new to this community, according to youth advocate and community leader Chillion Sanerivi.
“As Pasifika, when we make decisions in our families, in our communities and in our churches, we are familiar with the action of how we come to a decision,” Chillion said at the fono.
“From our Pasifika lens, we bring our own perspective and opinions as a whole village, because we work as a collective and our voices and opinions are never alone.”
What are the barriers?
Co-Chair of the advisory panel, Litiana Karika outlined some key challenges.
“Is it to do with disinterest, distrust, the relative transience of our Pacific communities, or is it just that we simply always have bigger fish to fry with intense periods off the back of Covid, major weather events and recession?” Litiana asked.
“We know our communities are really focused on the everyday, here and now challenges. So, what are we missing as a collective?”
As the question echoed around the virtual room, it was the youngest member in the room who had the answers. The youth representative Uelese believes the solution starts with youth.
“We need to raise awareness and turn it into action through education, schools and community spaces, which will encourage Pacific Island youth to take on leadership roles and support our Pacific candidates, and let society know that we have a voice. Our voice deserves to be heard and respected,” Uelese said.
While awareness and education were popular conclusions, advisory panel member Penina Ifopo acknowledged the council’s efforts in civics engagement.
“But Auckland Council can only provide so much resource to our people because community knows what community wants. We’re the ones that are at the heart of our community,” Penina added.
“When our Pasifika people see our own people leading and mobilising, they will most likely come forward. It’s big work and hopefully by partnering with community groups and youth groups and churches, it can be one of the solutions, but it’s not the only opportunity to shift things.”
Further engagement opportunities to enhance Pacific participation in elections are being planned for June, August and September as the local elections approach.
To register your interest for these events, contact the Elections team and to learn about standing in Auckland’s Local Elections 2025 visit Vote Auckland.
