Manukura | Manase Lua

“Fasi pē sila pea tuku ki Manono.”

“Broken sails are best mended in Manono.” 

I love this whakatauākī because it references the long history, wisdom, and resilience of the peoples of the Moana, especially the close vā or relationship between Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji. This ancient Tongan proverb means; “Broken sails are best mended in Manono.” Manono is a small island located between Upolu and Savai’i in Samoa. There are deep Fijian connections to Manono and the name harkens to an ancient and bloody battle fought between the locals and Fijian invaders many centuries ago in one account. Tongan navigators would sail their damaged Kalia, or ocean voyaging crafts called Alia in Samoa or Drua in Fiji, to their relatives on Manono for repair. The Lemaki clan on Manono were renowned tufunga fou vaka or shipwrights who built the best and largest transoceanic voyaging vessels in the Western Pacific. Sometimes, these craftsmen were taken to Fiji where the giant Vesi trees grow to build giant Drua some that could carry 280 or more people and were faster and more maneuverable than the European sailing vessels of the time.  

Our ancestors established a vast network of islands not divided by Moana Nui a Kiwa the great Pacific Ocean but rather connected by it. Our ancestors were fearless. They were bold. They knew the celestial alignment of the stars and when these were obscured, they could literally feel and taste the waters to gauge where they were. They could even sense large landmasses by feeling tiny changes in reflected currents bouncing off land through the vibrations they would make as they lay prone on the deck meditating. They observed the birds, cloud formations and wind patterns and were able to locate themselves in the vast expanse of the Ocean. They were in tune with nature and made the most of what little resources they had. They understood problems and found elegant solutions from within. 

Ko hoku hingoa ko Manase Lua ko eku lele mai mei Vaini ‘i Tongatapu pea mo Ha’afeva, Ha’apai. I was born in Tonga, and I am a Matãpule or Talking Chief for Lord Ma’afu with the title Pakilau o Aotearoa from my mother’s village of Vaini on Tongatapu in the Kingdom of Tonga. I am a Sogaimiti and proudly wear a traditional Samoan lagi malofie or full body tatau in honour of my Samoan ancestry to Safotulafai in Savai’i, Manono, and Safata in Upolu. I have connections to the Far North to Ngāpuhi as a fugitive and child of the dawn raids in the 70’s. I also have ancestry to Lau in Fiji and Uvea. I am married to my Tongan Australian wife Folola “Flo” and we have four adult children Sifa, Alvina, Mounu and Moses.  

I am the Ringa Huti Punga – Pacific Equity Lead for the WISE Group. I work closely with the Director of Equity to implement our Te Kahukura and Siu Ola strategies to ensure we support staff within the WISE Group family to build a strong Te Tiriti based organisation that also values diversity, inclusion and belonging (Kanorau Charter) and achieves equitable outcomes. I also lead the Sustainability Programme for the WISE Group looking at how we can reduce waste and eliminate harmful impacts on our climate and environment (Te Toitūtanga Programme).  I also do some work for Te Pou and Le Va providing cultural advice and support from a Pasifika perspective to support their mahi. I am a lifelong learner and avid student of life; I am an advocate and activist in community space, and I love Aotearoa and Pacific history. I love to reference the ancient wisdom, skill, and knowledge of our Tupuna and ancestors because I share their DNA, and I believe that without them there is no me. I am also proud to live amongst many of my fellow Moana people here on Aotearoa as teina (younger sibling) to our Māori tuakana (older sibling) on their great lands. On the Moana these roles are reversed, I am tuakana and Māori are teina.  

I am reminded of that well known whakatauākī:

“E kore au e ngaro, he kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea.” I shall never be lost or forgotten as I am a seed sown from Rangiātea.  

Our ancestors’ feats of navigation were unmatched. They sailed for fun, for adventure, for love, for war and for trade. They knew where the best fine mats were made and where the best red feathers could be found to decorate those mats. They knew who were the best tufunga ta tatau (Tattoo artists) and where to find them. They knew where the best rocks for making axes could be found or obsidian for blades. They knew how important it was to intermarry between the various Chiefly houses (Whare Ariki) to mobilise, inspire and harness our community and networks to achieve common goals effortlessly. These are the values and skills that inspire me and drive me today to achieve my hopes and aspirations for our sector. We need to work together with the communities who know their issues best in order to achieve equity, especially for Maori and Pasifika.  

I am humbled to serve our communities here in Aotearoa and I know that where I am lacking in skills, abilities, or knowledge, I can always seek out Manono to mend my sails metaphorically. This is the wonderful power of whanaungatanga and the agency that comes with knowing oneself, respecting all people’s mana and tūrangawaewae, and knowing the deep connections we all share as seeds of Rangiātea scattered throughout the 65 million square miles of Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa and every inhabitable island that our ancestors discovered and settled.