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Overview
Victoria has a proud tradition of research, teaching and learning about the Pacific. Va'aomanū Pasifika is Victoria University of Wellington's Pacific unit and we offer two programmes of study – Samoan Studies and Pacific Studies.
The aim of both programmes is to increase student understanding of Pacific issues and to produce graduates who think critically as well as creatively and will make a contribution to the development of Pasifika communities in New Zealand, the region and internationally.
The study of Samoan language and culture at Victoria opens up opportunities to learn about the heritage and world of Samoans, not only in the traditional sense, but also through study of the changing lives and experiences of Samoans living in New Zealand society and elsewhere. Samoans make up almost 50% of the Pacific Island population in New Zealand and 40% of this group are New Zealand born.
By way of contrast, Pacific Studies is an exciting interdisciplinary field offering critical perspectives on the region's colonial legacy through to the exploration of the significant social changes Pacific people are facing today. There is a wealth of cultural, social and political diversity in the Pacific region that is still to be fully appreciated and understood.
Va'aomanū Pasifika is also the hub for Pacific-focused research and has become Victoria's contact point for government agencies, research commentaries, liaison with our Pacific communities and public forums on Pacific-related issues.
History
Before Va'aomanū Pasifika was set up in 2005, both the Samoan Studies and the Pacific Studies programmes were administered by Te Kawa a Māui- the School of Māori Studies.
Over the years Victoria has produced a particularly impressive list of alumni who have played pivotal roles in the formation of Pacific Studies internationally, including Professor J.W. Davidson (1938), Professor Ron Crocombe (1957), Professor Albert Wendt (1964) and Dr Terence Wesley-Smith (1979). In addition, significant numbers of Pacific politicians and government leaders, lawyers and sporting representatives, business entrepreneurs, writers and performing artists are Victoria graduates.
Samoan Studies
The Samoan Studies Programme was established in 1989 in response to community requests for tertiary-level study of the Samoan language. Today, Victoria is the only New Zealand university offering Samoan Studies as an undergraduate major in the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. While the majority of students in the Samoan Studies courses are Samoan, many students from other cultural backgrounds are enjoying learning and researching the Samoan language.
Pacific Studies
Pacific Studies teaching and research is multidisciplinary and comparative – the uniting thread being the critiquing of national, regional and global written and oral texts, processes and events from a Pacific perspective.
The Pacific Studies Programme was established in 2000 and offers study from a BA through to BA(Hons) and Graduate Diploma in Arts, a Master's by thesis and PhD.
Research
Our research includes: archival materials, manuscripts, official government documents, personal letters; narratives especially documenting the personal and mostly untold stories (as in talanoa with elders); exploration of Pacific ethics of knowledge production including ways of knowing, sharing and developing knowledge, the review of Pacific in a globalising world including theories of biculturalism, indigeneity and multiculturalism.
Guiding Principles
The guiding principles behind Va'aomanū Pasifika's teaching and learning include:
- holistic approaches, reflecting the way Pacific knowledge is constructed
- the exploration of Pacific concepts and understandings through literature, material and performing arts, written and oral texts and narratives
- flexibility, enabling students to select their fields of research and study (Our Special Topic courses enable more in-depth study in the lecturers' special research field.)
- relationship building and knowledge exchanges with other communities as in the Samoan programme mafutaga, the Pacific Studies Akamai, participation in community meetings, research and teaching networks with Te Papa, the Turnbull Library, Archives New Zealand and presentations/information sharing with government agencies, diplomatic posts, local bodies such as Wellington City Council and NGOs
- the understanding that language is central to culture and cultural understanding as reflected in the Samoan BA requirements and the language requirements for Pacific Studies major in the BA
- resource building such as in the Tidal Pools website and the compilation of teaching resources by the Samoan Programme
- exposing students, particularly postgraduates, to national and international forums (both Pacific and mainstream) and supporting students to present at these forums.