Fa’anānā Efeso Collins passing

At the Journal of Teachers’ Work we would like to add our voices to all those who have expressed their sorrow regarding the untimely death of Fa’anānā Efeso Collins.

Efeso and co-editor Nesta Devine held some long and interesting conversations, mainly focussed around his aspirations for a doctorate, but traversing a multitude of educational issues: racism, the problems faced by South Auckland students, neo-liberalism, and so on. He always commanded respect as a man of integrity and openness, and deep care for the oppressed.

His Maiden Speech in Parliament, delivered only 6 days before his death, shows a lot of his concerns with education, particularly with the education of Pacific and Māori children in Aotearoa New Zealand. His personal story shows both the difficulties and the potential of young people who grow up in the rich and at the same time poor environment of South Auckland. He was not afraid to call poverty by its name, nor to show, in his own person, the value and distinctiveness of New Zealand Samoa.

It is challenging not to feel angry about leadership lost; a man who was the voice and the beloved of so many in the Pacific community. He was courageous, speaking for the “square pegs, the misfits, the forgotten, the unloved, the invisible” in spaces which didn’t always welcome him, and watching the outpouring of alofa in the wake of his passing has demonstrated how vital it is to have Pacific voices and values spoken in all of Aotearoa’s decision-making spaces. In his maiden speech, Efeso said “There’s a saying in Samoan, “E le tu fa’amauga se tagata” – no one stands alone, no one succeeds alone – and, for me, no one suffers alone.” In this time of immense sadness over his passing, it is important to remember that we are not alone. Efeso’s aiga and his friends and his colleagues are supported and held by all those who believe in the kaupapa of his work. The Pacific community grieve and mourn one of our own, but we are thankful for his life, his service and his unwavering belief that Pacific young people deserve mentors, resources, dignity and respect. 

Efeso speaks better for himself than anything we can write about him, so we insert here a link to his Maiden Parliamentary speech. He said he had come to help, (the unspoken corollary being, not to oppose per se). We have to do the helping for him.

https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/02/21/efeso-collins-maiden-statement-to-the-house/

E te Rangatira, moe mai ra, okioki ai