Tonga Language Week celebrated
Pacific PeoplesPacific Peoples Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has welcomed Tonga Language Week 2015.
Tongan language, culture and heritage have had a significant impact on New Zealand’s history and identity as a Pacific nation.
They will be celebrated all week with cultural events, including a function at Parliament tonight.
The theme of this year’s Tonga Language Week is Fakakoloa ‘o Aotearoa ‘aki ‘a e faiva ‘a e Tonga – Enriching Aotearoa with our Tongan Arts.
“I am looking forward to celebrating this important week for our Tongan community and the rest of New Zealand,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.
“The theme is relevant in ensuring the preservation of all our Pacific languages through our arts and keeping them alive.”
Tongan people make up the third largest Pacific group in New Zealand, with just over 60,000 people identifying as Tongan in the 2013 Census. More than half of them were born in New Zealand.
The 2015 line-up of seven Pacific language weeks started with Samoa Language Week in May and ends with Tokelau Language Week in October.
A list of events marking Tonga Language Week can be found at www.mpia.govt.nz