King's Birthday honours - 'This belongs to the Samoan community'

RNZ News

2 days ago

Former National MP Anae Arthur Anae and Repeka Lelaulu president of P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A Inc 20 November 2024
Photo:
RNZ Pacific/Coco Lance
Former National MP Anae Lupematasila Lima Arthur John Anae has received a King's Service Medal in the King's birthday honours.
Anae Arthur Anae has been honoured for services to the Samoan community.
"On behalf of our community, I'm thrilled for it, because this isn't me. This is not mine," Anae said.
"This belongs to the Samoan community who stood behind and joined the battle to get justice that belonged to us, and the recognition belongs to all of us, because we've all had to hold hands and and fight this for a long time."
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Anae has been part of the
push for the Samoa Citizenship Bill
, which restores a pathway for citizenship for a group of Samoans who had their right to it removed.
He led the Mau o Samoa I le Sitiseni committee from 1997, keeping awareness of the issue alive and supporting the activism of transitional Samoans, which culminated in 24,500 Select Committee submissions on the Bill before its passing.
Anae was a list MP from 1996 to 2002, initiating several Pacific initiatives during this time. He was a Manukau city councillor from 2004 to 2010 and an Auckland councillor from 2010 to 2016, chairing the Economic Forum for both councils.
Anae Arthur Anae - far right corner - with his parents and siblings.
Photo:
Supplied
Besides politics Anae is an elder of the Pacific Islanders Presbyterian Church and has chaired its development committee.
Hailing from the villages of Falelatai, Apia, Siumu, and Safotulafai in Samoa, Anae reflects on his parents' journey and their challenges after moving to Aotearoa from Samoa.
He said he dedicates the King's Service Medal to his parents, who moved to New Zealand in 1951 when he was five years old.
"All our parents, not just my parents.... came out here in the 50s for one reason, to give their children an education, an opportunity.
"We tend to overlook, these days, the people who paved the way for us, and our parents had to sacrifice themselves on factory floors to give their children opportunities for tomorrow, and those opportunities are what we're reaping today.
"I was asked the question the other day, well, who's going to run the mantle after you're gone? I said, there's an army of young Pacific people behind me, highly educated, and they won't be drawn back by the fa'a'aloalo [respect] which has always held us back.
"Palangis (Pakeha) have always said - treated us - our fa'a'aloalo and respect is a sign of weakness. They've got a hell of a lot to learn."
The advocating doesn't end here for Anae, who is currently working on getting one million signatures for a petition on a visa-free travel for Pacific countries.
"I'm still battling on two things, and that is the recognition of the woman married to these people or the men as well.
"I still believe in my heart that New Zealand owes these people 50 percent of their pension if they stay in Samoa, where they want to stay, and have the freedom to travel backwards and forward as they want. And these are two issues that I will continue to fight with them because I believe in it and they're things that are right and should be done."
Asked about future generation looking at awards like this, he said:
"My only advice for all our people is, whatever we do in life, you do it with a clean heart.
"You don't look at any rewards or anything that might come - they never come.
"Your thinking is based on what you're trying to achieve for people, from your heart, that's what you do; win or lose, you do it."