Several Pasifika were among dozens of New Zealanders to receive the Order of Merit this week.

Recipients comprised leading figures across various industries from social work to entertainment.

TV show producer, writer, and director Lisa Taouma received the insignia of a member of the NZ Order of Merit at a ceremony in Auckland.

• READ MORE: Other Pacific awards reports

Taouma said the award represented the efforts of many people.

“I’m really honoured that people from my community nominated me for this,” Taouma said.

“As Pacific people, we work collectively. This award has my name on it, but it’s an award that should be really for my whole amazing team of Pacific creatives.

“In my aiga of creative people who have put me here really, this is very much theirs’ as mine.”

Garnered controversy
The Order of Merit was an honorific established in 1902 by Edward VII, and has garnered controversy as it was awarded to many British officers and statesmen involved with the colonial oppression of the British Empire.

But Taouma said the investure of so many Pasifika and Māori indicated a positive change.

Since the end of the British Empire, the honorific system has seen a revision — shifting from recognition of control to recognition of change.

“I was a bit conflicted in taking the award from the Empire and the King, because many Pacific people were victims of colonisation,” said Taouma.

“But I think that different people being involved in these investures is important because it shows how things are changing.”

Another Pasifika recipient, Ma’a Brian Sagala, said his recognition was the result of generations of duty towards helping one’s community and whanau (family).

“The reason I do what I do is to follow in the footsteps of my dad and mum, it’s something that has been modelled to me by all those who gave gone before me,” said Ma’a who works as a radio presenter and producer for the Pacific Media Network.

‘Hard to put into words’
“It’s actually hard to put it into words, but I’m very humbled by the recognition, and I’m just so very thankful. I love serving the Pasifika community, it’s the greatest honour and privilege.

“This medal shows the impact that Pasifika are having on New Zealand society.”

Many Māori have also been invested, such as George Flavell, kaumatua of Ngati Te Ata. The 77-year-old spent much of his life discovering and protecting traditional Māori sites such as pa fortresses.

His push for the protection of the sites resulted in land being reclaimed as part of the Waitangi Tribunal.

“It’s 30 years of hard work,” said Flavell.

“We worked hard to save our waahi tapu (sacred sites) and pa (traditional fortresses)…all of our land was confiscated, so it was about picking up what we could with the goodwill of the community.”

Flavell said changes in school curriculums to teach Māori history and language showed how far New Zealand society had come.

“Things were taught differently back then because there was no understanding of the past, but then all these claims came out and things began to change, people began to understand.

“We were at the bottom of the list of council policies (preserving sites), but now we’re on top.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Two Auckland University of Technology students who took top communication studies prizes at an awards ceremony last night are off to Fiji next month on a climate change “Bearing Witness” project.

Julie Cleaver and Kendall Hutt were rewarded for their journalism at the School of Communication Studies annual awards event.

Cleaver, editor of AUT’s magazine Debate and a freelance writer for The New Zealand Herald, won the school award for final year Bachelor of Communication Studies excellence in communication theory.

Hutt, who works for AUT’s Pacific Media Centre as contributing editor of Pacific Media Watch, won the Radio NZ International Prize for top student in Asia-Pacific journalism.

They will fly to Fiji in the mid-semester break for a two-week assignment for the PMC in partnership with the Pacific Centre for the Environment and Sustainable Development (PaCE-SD) and the Regional Pacific Journalism programme at the University of the South Pacific, and AUT’s Te Ara Motuhenga documentary collective.

“This is the second year running that we have done this mission and we would like to build it up to cover several Pacific countries, especially the ‘frontline’ climate change nations,” said Professor David Robie, who initiated the project.

Cleaver, who is of Canadian and Māori descent, said her passion and interest for media topics were more rewarding than getting a good grade.

Raising awareness
The award would encourage her to raise awareness of other cultures in New Zealand.

Hutt, who travelled to Finland last year, said the journey had broadened her journalism horizons.

Hundreds of people packed AUT’s function hall for the ceremony, hosted by advertising supremo Mike Hutcheson, who told guests he welcomed the recognition of creativity and diversity.

Hutcheson’s comic anecdotes left guests amused and inspired — “be the voice of creativity”, he said.

Her trip to Fiji last year during the first Bearing Witness mission and a passion for global journalism had won her this award, she said.

“If we want a diverse culture in New Zealand we should have more international students address or share knowledge in other cultures.”

Scholarships awarded
Communication Studies postgraduate scholarships were awarded to Shirin Brown, Jayakrishnan Sreekumar, Rebecca Trelease and Chao Zhang.

Another AUT journalism graduate, Janie Cameron, was named top postgraduate student in creative practice and won The New Zealand Herald prize. She shared her insight, telling the audience that for such a “small country we have a lot of problems” and her role as a journalist was a “unique voice for the voiceless”.

Ophelia Buckleton won the National Business Review award for outstanding journalism graduate in the Bachelor of Communication Studies degree.

The awardees were given cash, a plaque of recognition and internships based on their specialisation.

Queenie Jose is a final year Bachelor of Communication Studies student journalist working on Te Waha Nui.

• Earlier story on the awards
• Full list of award winners

The Storyboard and Spasifik Magazine prize went to a young Indian engineer-turned-journalist, Ami Dhabuwala, for her role in the Bearing Witness climate change project in Fiji and as part of a team covering diversity at the World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) conference in Auckland last year.

The Storyboard was presented to her last night by PMC advisory board chair Associate Professor Camille Nakhid and the Spasifik prize by editor-in-chief Innes Logan.

Recently graduated, Dhabuwala takes up a job at the Greymouth Star next week.

She appealed for more international students to be taken into the AUT journalism course.

“Every journalist should be able to expand his or her horizon to be a global journalist,” she said, adding there should be a wider acceptance of other cultures – “we need more international students who don’t want to be restricted to Kiwi or any regional media.

“Many times, I felt like an alien.”

‘Giving me hope’
Dhabuwala praised staff, facilities and classmates but said more diversity was needed. She also praised the staff at the Pacific Media Centre for “giving me hope”.

Pacific Media Watch editor Kendall Hutt won the Radio New Zealand International Award for the top Asia-Pacific Journalism Studies student.

This was presented by RNZ journalist Alex Perrottet, himself a former Pacific Media Watch editor.

Hutt described her RNZI award as an “honour” and she thanked the radio station.

“I would also like to thank Professor David Robie and Del Abcede. Without your passion for the Asia-Pacific region, and the work the Pacific Media Centre does, I wouldn’t be standing here today,” she said.

Hutt described how in one semester the postgraduate Asia-Pacific Journalism studies course had “really opened my eyes to diversity”.

Travel posters
She said the region was not all about the images on travel posters, because “behind these lie climate change, media freedom issues and human rights violations”.

Julie Cleaver won the School of Communication Studies Award for excellence in communication theory.

Cleaver and Hutt head for Fiji next month on the Bearing Witness climate change project.

A Pacific student, Hulu Tu’inukuafe, won the FCB Change Agency Award for digital media excellence.

Postgraduate scholarships were awarded to a diverse range of students:  Shirin Brown, Jayakrishnan Sreekumar, Rebecca Trelease and Chao Zhang.

• Full list of award winners

School of Communication Studies Award for Top Year One Bachelor of Communication Studies: Hannah Dowsett

School of Communication Studies Award for Top Year Two Bachelor of Communication Studies: Adam Szentes

School of Communication Studies Award for Excellence in Communication Theory: Julie Cleaver

Communication Studies Postgraduate Scholarships:
Shirin Brown
Jayakrishnan Sreekumar
Rebecca Trelease
Chao Zhang

Dean’s Award for Best Postgraduate Diploma in Communication Studies: Sam Hewat

Dean’s Award awarded for Excellence in Master of Communication Studies – Thesis:
Taylor Annabell

Spasifik Magazine Prize and Storyboard Award for Diversity Reporting: Ami Dhabuwala

Radio New Zealand International Award for the top student in Asia-Pacific Journalism:
Kendall Hutt

John Foy Memorial Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism: Andrew Hallberg

New Zealand Herald Award for Top Post Graduate Diploma Student in Creative Practice – Journalism: Janie Cameron

National Business Review Award for the Outstanding Graduate in the BCS Journalism Major: Ophelia Buckleton

Public Relations Institute of New Zealand Award for the Top Year 2 Public Relations Student: Adam Szentes

Porter Novelli Joseph Peart Scholarship: Emma Hilton

Public Relations Institute of New Zealand President’s Award for the Top Academic Student in the Public Relations Major: Victoria Grayling

The Radio Bureau Award for Top Student Research Project: Radio: Molly Dagger

The Radio Bureau Award for Top Radio Student 2016: Hannah Bourke

FCB Change Agency Award for Digital Media Excellence: Hulu Tu’inukuafe

School of Communication Studies Award for Academic Excellence in the Creative Industries Major: Libby Houghton

School of Communication Studies Awards for:
Art Director of the Year – Harry Skelton
Copywriter of the Year – Marika Berney
Creative Team of the Year – Mike Hickmott and Blade Broome

Francis Porterfield Memorial Award for Excellence in Multi-Camera Production: Cerian Owen

Sponsors: FCB Media, John Foy Memorial Trust, National Business Review, New Zealand Herald, Porter Novelli, Public Relations Institute of New Zealand, Radio New Zealand International, Sky, Spasifik Magazine, The Radio Bureau

Aumua also spoke about the issues of negative Pacific stereotypes represented in the media.

“I know when I say the word ‘Pacific’ a lot of us think of the white sand beaches, clear waters, tropical heat and dream holiday destinations,” she said.

“But when I say Pacific people or Pacific Islanders, the atmosphere changes. People roll their eyes.”

Aumua said indigenous and minority communities in the world need opportunities and platforms to bring their truthful stories and human rights issues to the forefront.

The Sepik traditional storyboard was donated by Pacific Media Centre director Professor David Robie a decade ago to encourage better diversity journalism.

Fellow AUT Communications Studies graduate Joshua Iosefo was jointly awarded the MediaWorks Award with Harriet Maire for television and screen production graduate of the year.

Film award
The trailer of Iosefo’s short film Forgotten Dawn Children, which pays tribute to people who suffered in the raids on the homes of alleged Pacific Island overstayers in the 1970s was screened.

He thanked his grandparents, and honoured the conflict they endured during the time of the raids.

Iosefo, also a passionate advocate for the Pacific community, and well known for his speeches on youth empowerment, is furthering his study in a Postgraduate Diploma in Communication Studies at AUT.

Niklas Pedersen of the Danish School of Media and Journalism, on an exchange programme with AUT last year, was also awarded the annual Radio New Zealand International Prize for the top student in the postgraduate Asia-Pacific Journalism Studies course.

He reported from Fiji on climate change and other issues on a two-week assignment last September.

Pedersen was not able to attend from Denmark and TJ Aumua accepted the award on his behalf.

In a message to the awards audience, he said:

It is my great honor to accept this award …

I had a wonderful time at AUT in the spring and especially in the Asia-Pacific Journalism class under the guidance of the inspirational Dr David Robie. I really enjoyed learning about journalism practices in cultures very different from the one that I’m used to in Denmark.

I was lucky enough to not only study about these practices in the Asia-Pacific Region but also experience them first-hand during my internship at Wansolwara and Repúblika Magazine in Suva, Fiji. This experience has given me invaluable tools and knowledge, which I know use in my job as a journalist back in Denmark. 

I’m sorry, I couldn’t be there tonight but I want to let you know that if there was anywhere in the world, I would travel 18.000 kilometers to be for just one night, it would be AUT. I sincerely hope that I will be able to return in the future and revisit the place that gave me the experiences of a lifetime.  

Once again, thank you for this award. And a special thanks to Dr David Robie, Radio NZ International and PMC who made all of this possible.

In another success for diversity, India-born Anuja Nadkarni, who spent two of her early years living in Fiji, won the National Business Review Award for outstanding Bachelor of Communication Studies journalism graduate.

• The awards at Pacific Media Watch
• Niklas Pedersen stories on Asia Pacific Report

“Pacific communities don’t have a lot of role models leaving behind legacies for young Pacific …” Susan Epskamp of Asia-Pacific Journalism reports on one strategy based on dance.

Walking into a dance studio for the first time can be daunting, but all expectations and fears evaporate as soon as you hear the laughter. And there is a lot of laughter coming from a New Zealand dance studio every Thursday night.

“Poetry in motion, straight up contemporary techniques, and then we will finish with some improvisation to make everyone feel all good.”

This is how Jahra Wasasala, associate artistic director of Ia Manuia, starts her dance class in Auckland’s Wellesley Dance Studio.

Ia Manuia is a dance initiative for Pacific communities started by three friends with a passion for Pacific youth and the continuation of Pacific values.

Executive director Veronica Ng Lam explains: “My very good friend, Thomas Fonua, rang me and said ‘You know how we always said we would create a dance company when we were old? And provide opportunities to young Pacific people who wouldn’t otherwise have these types of access?

“Well yeah, that time has come now.”

Thomas Fonua was a winner in the Prime Minister’s Pacific Youth Awards last December, which landed him a cool $10,000 prize from the Creative New Zealand fund.

Vision space
He has transformed this into providing a space where it is possible for young Pacific leaders to pay it forward.

Ng Lam says “paying it forward” is the vision behind Ia Manuia.

“Pacific communities don’t have a lot of role models that leave behind legacies for young Pacific people to pick up the reigns and carry on with,” she says.

“Most people know statistics about Pacific people are not necessarily positive. So our dream has been to leave something positive for the next generation to pick up and move forward again.”

Phoebe Carr, who identifies as Tuhoe and Ngati Awa, heard about Ia Manuia through social media, and loves the class for its celebration of Pacific values.

“I really love the concept of it being a special space for Pasifika people.

“I think that is real cool for any space to build on our common ground as Pacific Islanders and Māori.”

Shared learning
Jahra Wasasala couldn’t say yes fast enough to the opportunity to bring back what she has learnt over her extensive career to her people.

“It’s a traditional thing, where when you leave the village to go off and learn and grow, you bring back what you have learnt to your people and share it.

“It’s a remarkable thing.”|

Wasasala wanted to open doors to contemporary dance and make it more accessible to the community.

“We want to make it part of the people,” she says.

In an Ia Manuia class, Wasasala will use text, language, pictures, and combine them with movement to create contemporary dance.

This is to make the process of contemporary dance visible, and seem transparent to those who attend.

‘Really scared’
“People who turn up to their first dance class are really scared,” she say.

“This way, they can see it is normal, organic and intuitive to create contemporary dance.”

Ia Manuia is not appropriation as the class does not use direct traditional movements that would appear in cultural Pacific dance.

“I am figuring out how to ingrain Pacific ideology to feed into our work naturally. I try to include Pacific values holistically to the class, making them aware of our faith.”

Ng Lam says that Pacific people attending the class are the lowest in the numbers they have. But, she says, this is a reflection of the dance industry.

“While it is about Pacific, we are still encompassing those who aren’t,” says Ng Lam.

“What is important to us, more than anything, is that our Pacific values are displayed and honoured.”

Safe place
This is something that has struck long-time member, Linda T, a New Zealand-born Samoan who tutors at Future Skills in Manukau.

“It’s open to anyone, and anyone has been coming!” she laughs, “Although they say that it’s for Pacific, it’s all encompassing.”

Although with no dance background, Linda feels Ia Manuia is a safe place. No-one is there to judge or watch you.

“I am not a dancer. I just thought – there are no watchers here. There is no-one who cruises in and starts from the sidelines.”

Ng Lam says Ia Manuia is a space that exists for young people, especially young Pacific people, to feel like they can participate in an underrepresented area.

“This is what makes me really proud of Ia Manuia.”

Creative New Zealand’s Dance Review Report 2014 says that it recognises that heritage and contemporary Pacific dance are not separate and unconnected, but instead operate on a continuum of practice.

“Our recent Pacific arts review has retained as a priority that Creative New Zealand should continue to support projects and activities that assist New Zealand’s Pacific Island’s peoples to create, present, and participate in.”

Susan Epskamp is a student journalist on the Asia-Pacific Journalism Studies paper at AUT University with a passion for people.