18/12/2025
He poroporoaki | Farewell from Pasifika Success
Dear students, friends, colleagues, supporters, and collaborators,
As Pasifika Success Coordinator, I am writing to inform you about a significant change regarding Pasifika Success.
From January 5th 2026, Pasifika Success will cease as a distinct unit, as the University transitions to one Tuākana programme for Te Pūtahi Mātauranga | The Faculty of Arts and Education. This change follows the 2025 faculty merger (Arts, Creative Arts, and Education and Social Work) and the development of a combined Māori and Pacific learner support allocation under Tuākana Arts and Education.
While this marks the end of Pasifika Success as a named space, it does not erase what has been built over decades nor the people who made it possible.
Honouring the journey of Pasifika Success:
Pasifika Success has its origins at the Auckland College of Education, where advocacy for Pacific learners began in the late 1980s, and by the early 1990s, dedicated support was in place for Pacific students across teacher education and social work programmes.
In 2001, this work was formalised through the establishment of a faculty-wide Pacific development structure, alongside the creation of Pasifika Academic Success Services (PASS) to strengthen Pacific participation, retention, and achievement. Following the 2004 merger with the University of Auckland, PASS became part of the Faculty of Education, supporting Pacific learners across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
In 2012, PASS was refreshed and renamed Pasifika Success, reflecting an expanded and more holistic approach to academic and pastoral support. A year later, the Tuakaqu Mentoring Programme was introduced, grounded in Pacific values of relational care and guidance, and drawing on a Tuākana–Teina philosophy to support student success.
Through multiple transitions, including the closure of the Epsom campus, Pasifika Success continued its work from the City Campus, most recently based in B113, sustaining its commitment to Pacific undergraduate and postgraduate learners. Throughout its journey, Pasifika Success worked in close partnership with Te Korowai Atawhai, strengthening collective support for Māori and Pacific students through academic, cultural, and community initiatives.
Gratitude to our village:
To our Pacific students: fa’afetai tele lava. Thank you for trusting this space, whether you came for a tutorial, mentoring, advice, a hot drink, a quiet place to study, or simply to be seen and encouraged. Pasifika Success has always been, above all, about people, your aspirations, your families, your languages, your courage, and your success.
To our staff (past and present), programme leaders, student leaders, and colleagues across the faculty and university: thank you for your dedication, your long hours, your advocacy, and your unwavering belief that Pacific students belong and can flourish here.
We also acknowledge the deep partnership with Te Korowai Atawhai, working together across various events, and the many moments of joy and connection. These collaborations have strengthened both our student communities and our shared commitment to Māori and Pacific learner success.
I want to especially acknowledge our current Tuakaqu mentors — Betty Lealaiauloto, Va’ai Sililoto, and Meleana Puloka. Thank you for the care, wisdom, and leadership you have offered our students, and for holding the kaupapa of Pasifika Success with such integrity in this final season. Your presence, guidance, and aroha have made a lasting difference, and your legacy lives on in the confidence and success of the students you have walked alongside.
Where to go for support from 2026:
Support for Pacific students continues through Tuākana Arts and Education:
- For hardship and pastoral support: Tuivalu Lauganiu — [email protected]
- For academic support and general queries:
Zoe Henry - [email protected] and Rebekah Williams - [email protected]
- Tuākana AED team offices: 201-419 (end of the hall behind the learning lounge)
- Study spaces: Learning lounge (Building 201, level 4 next to elevators), Okareta House (Building 215, 14 Symonds Street), and ELAM Tuākana room (Building 432, Symonds Street)
As we close this chapter at the end of 2025, I want to acknowledge without hesitation that Pasifika Success has been shaped by many hands, hearts, and minds over many years. Its legacy lives in the achievements of our students, the leadership of our Pacific scholars and professional staff, and the relationships built across the University and our wider communities.
Thank you for walking alongside Pasifika Success. We farewell a name and a unit, but we do not farewell the kaupapa.
With respect and gratitude,
Pelimani Fisi’iahi
Pasifika Success Coordinator
Tim Baice
Lecturer – Pasifika Success
Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland
