3 days ago
Pacific profiles: The guardians of the Rainbow Fale
The Pacific profiles series shines a light on Pacific people in Aotearoa doing interesting and important work in their communities, as nominated by members of the public. Today, Jazriel Lavakula, Mela Meilin Ta'avao and Penni Wolfgramm of the Rainbow Fale.
All photos by Geoffery Matautia.
On a busy Thursday lunchtime, I sat with Jazriel Lavakula, Mela Meilin Ta'avao and Dr Penni Wolfgramm of the Village Collective's Rainbow Fale. At their vibrant office in the heart of Manukau City Centre, the dynamic trio spoke warmly about their work to empower Pacific Rainbow/MVPAFF+ young people, their families, and the wider community.
Mela: Talofa lava, I'm Mela Meilin Taovao. I'm from the villages of Faleapuna and Nofoali'i in Samoa, Ava'tele in Niue and Guangdong in China. I'm the eldest of six, a proud Christian girl, a dog mum and a youth worker at the Village Collective's Rainbow Fale.
Penni: My name is Penni Wolfgramm. I'm Tongan from the villages of 'Utungake and Fungamisi, Vava'u, Niuatoputapu, Niutoua and Kolonga, Tongatapu. I'm proudly born and raised in Māngere, one of six children, and from a strong Catholic family. I serve alongside Jazriel and Mela, and I also work as the Pacific Rainbows+ People's lead for the Ministry of Pacific Peoples, and I'm a clinical psychologist for the Village Collective.
Jazriel: I'm Samoan and Niuean, from the villages of Fasito'o uta and Alofi/Liku. I'm 30, born and bred in Papatoetoe, one of six siblings. I've been here for four years as a youth worker. I'm also a House Mother for the House of De' Lamour with 13 children. Outside of work, I enjoy performing as a drag performer and lip-syncer.
How would you each describe the work of the Rainbow Fale?
Penni: The Village Collective is a community organisation established in 1997, formerly known as FLEP (Family Life Education Pasifika). The lifeblood of this work we owe to pioneers, including the late Siaosi George Mulipola, Edward Cowley (Buckwheat), and Linda Lepou. Broadly, it's an organisation dedicated to the health and wellbeing of Pacific youth, their families and communities.
Three fale fall under the Collective: there's Tala Vou for Pacific youth, the community fale supporting community efforts that drive Pacific wellbeing, and the Rainbow fale, which is a lighthouse for our rainbow/MVPAFF+ communities. The Rainbow Fale has been around since 2015, and it's dedicated to supporting the aspirations of Pacific rainbow youth and, more recently, adults.
Jazriel:. Every week, we visit high schools in South Auckland and create spaces and activities for students to feel included and be themselves. We run workshops around identity, sexual orientation and healthcare and help guide them around navigating healthy relationships and cultural values. When I was in school, we didn't have organisations coming in to help us – we only had the older divas at our school to lean on. In August, we'll be releasing a documentary series – La Mepa pathways – showing five Pacific families that have raised a rainbow child or family member and capturing their stories and journeys.
What drew you into this work?
Mela: For me, it's a full circle moment getting to do the work that Siaosi, Linda and Edward pioneered alongside Jazriel. I love our in-school Matala programme (matala means to bloom in Samoan), because we see our young people as flowers blossoming into the world. We're there to nurture them into their fullest potential.
Jazriel: I was inspired by the work of Phylesha Brown Acton, a Niuean fakafifine activist. I always wanted to be like her. She's my inspiration to be an advocate for rainbow Pasifika people and to work with young people.
Penni: I didn't know the term trans existed until my late 20s. I owe that to how I grew up and the lack of role models and visibility. I never in my wildest dreams thought I could work in rainbow-focused roles. The homecoming for me was my PhD research into the experiences of leitī in Auckland. I see it as this wonderful rolling of waves where I've finally found a vocation I want to do for the rest of my life.
You mentioned that the Rainbow Fale now runs initiatives for adults. What prompted that?
Jazriel: Even though we are a youth organisation, we like to cater to our older generations, too. In 2020, we started Vahine Lei, which is a space for us older ones to meet monthly. It's a peer support system as we all work in different fields.
Penni: For our community, it's not uncommon to be the only rainbow person in your workplace. The wonderful thing about Vahine Lei is that it's a space that serves as an antidote to the oppressive things happening sociopolitically. We can put it on the fala (mat) and talk it through.
Even though we're older, our identities aren't consolidated. It's an ongoing journey. Our communities are very good at suppressing and repressing, and this space lets us talanoa. Nothing is left unsaid. We also bring our youth programmes and Vahine Lei together to encourage intergenerational sharing of knowledge, wisdom and resilience, in the vein of Tuakana/Teina relationships that exist across the moana.
There is no doubt that spaces like these are vital. Could you speak to the necessity and urgency of having culturally specific Rainbow spaces right now?
Penni: The experiences of being Pasifika and Rainbow are very unique. One in 25 Pacific peoples identify as Rainbow/MVPAFF+. There are challenges we face nationally and globally, but so often it's in our families, too. In a time when it can feel oppressive to wake up and just be, these serve as spaces of love and connection. We are Pacific first and foremost. For far too long, we have lived in the inbetween. Pacific peoples don't accept us, and the rainbow communities don't accept us. This liminal space is where we find safe havens.
What sparks joy in your work?
Mela: For me, it's getting to work with our young people. I've only been here a year and I'm still learning in this role, so there's lots to do. I also like being able to run professional development training with organisations on how to foster care for our people.
Jazriel: Like Mela, I love going into schools every day and seeing the beautiful faces of the next generation. They always lift my spirits. Recently, we organised the Matala Ball, and it was great to see my workspace interconnect with my ballroom family.
Penni: Honestly, it's seeing Mela and Jazriel's leadership come through and being able to share the joy of their work. I love seeing them blossom in their roles.
Q: What are your aspirations, professionally and personally?
Mela: First up, more accessible gender-affirming care for our young people. And I know it sounds cliché, but I want to exist in a more loving world.
Jazz: It'd be great to have a bigger team and see more of our people in the community doing this line of work. I also want to continue in my advocacy nationally and internationally.
Penni: I want to see a world where being Pacific and Rainbow/MVPAFF+ is much more normalised, celebrated and part of the fabric of what it means to be Pacific. For our Pacific leaders, both politically and in our communities, I want to see them wield their power responsibly and not hide their love for us. Let the love for us be loud!
This is Public Interest Journalism funded by NZ On Air.
