03/06/2026
Sāmoan Made Simple: A New Resource for a Language Worth Protecting.
E afua mai i mauga tetele manuia o le nu'u. From the high mountains are the blessings of the village.
This year's theme asks something of us. It asks us to look to where we come from, to the people, the knowledge, and the language that sustains us, and to consider what we are doing to carry those things forward.
One of those people is Ja*on Tiatia.
A former NZ Rugby Sevens player, Ministry of Education staff member, and father of three, Ja*on has spent years working to make gagana Samoa accessible to everyone. He understands something that the data increasingly confirms: language is not just communication. It is wellbeing. It is identity. It is belonging.
For Ja*on, the link between language, community and wellbeing has always been personal. His work in mental health sits alongside his language revitalisation efforts because, in his view, the two are inseparable. When people lose connection to their language, they can lose connection to themselves. And when they find their way back to it, even through small everyday phrases, something shifts.
That spirit sits at the heart of what Samoan Language Week is about, and it is the spirit He Waka Tapu is celebrating this week alongside our Pasifika whānau, our au faigaluega, and our wider community here in Otautahi.
And if you want to hear from Ja*on in person, he will be joining us this Friday 5 June at our Samoan Language Week celebration at 161 Pages Road, Wainoni. Scorpio Books will have a stall on site where you can grab your own copy of Sāmoan Made Simple on the day. Free entry, open to all.
Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/samoan-language-week-2026-hwt
