Reconnecting to our Sea of Islands: Pacific Studies in the Next Decade

Abstract

When I returned to Victoria University in 2006 I was amazed by the changes from the 1960s - when I was one female in a very small bunch of students. Today there are almost 1,000 Pacific students; the Pacific along with the Maori are written into Victoria's strategic goals; there is a Pacific Peoples Advisory Council (PPAC) to the Vice-Chancellor; and now we have our Vaaomanu Pasifika - the only building on the campus with a fa'i in front. To my constant delight, Pacific languages, laughter and jokes echo up and down the roads as our students add colour and a certain style to the campus and, may I add, to the gym. But as time has unfolded, I have found that while a lot has changed, much has remained the same.

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