Celebrating Tokelau Language Week and a century of connection

The University of Auckland is celebrating Tokelau Language Week 2026 by highlighting the vital connection between language, culture and identity, embodied in this year's theme, Ke mauaka taku gagana Tokelau i taku aganuku - My language is enriched and strengthened by my culture.

This year's celebrations also coincide with a significant milestone of 100 years since New Zealand assumed administrative responsibility for Tokelau in 1926, a relationship that has shaped generations of Tokelauans while strengthening enduring ties between the islands and Aotearoa.

There are just under 10,000 New Zealanders with connections to Tokelau, and for many, language remains a powerful link to family, history and belonging.

Samantha Lafaialii, leads a research support team within the Faculty of Arts and Education, she says the Tokelauan culture is deeply woven through family stories, traditions and relationships that continue to shape her life and work.

"Relationships are the cornerstone," says Samantha. "As a Pacific woman, connections and networks are how I navigate the world, and stories are how I make sense of it."

Samantha traces her Tokelauan heritage to her great-grandmother, Akenese Pereira, who was born in Nukunonu.

"Our Tokelauan heritage comes from Ma," says Samantha. "She's the source of our family's gagana Tokelau and hiva, as well as the Catholic faith passed down through our parents and grandparents."

One treasured family memory remains vivid.

"About ten years after Ma's passing, her children performed an impromptu item at our family reunion and brought the house down. I'd never heard my grandmother sing a pehe before. The joy and laughter between her and her siblings as they left their tables to join the hiva (song and dance) is something I'll never forget."

Family is both an anchor and a source of pride says Samantha. She recalls games of lape, a fast-paced traditional Pacific team game similar to softball. Instead of a bat to strike a ball, players use their hands and run around three cones or bases to score runs while practicing their language.

"Family looks like playing lape with jandals on our hands outside Ma's house in Ponsonby, busloads of us heading to Long Bay for the annual family picnic, Mass at St Benedict's, laden tables, hospital visits, airport farewells, oldies cheating at canasta, and singing in the garage," she says.

"My biggest flex will always be my family. We are a sea of islands with the greatness of our oceans. I love the years of showing up for one another and the shared history that stretches back generations."

While Tokelau's population remains small, its culture has an influence far beyond its shores. The nation comprises the three atolls of Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo, and around 80 percent of Tokelauans live outside the islands, predominantly in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Over the past century, New Zealand's administration of Tokelau has shaped patterns of migration, citizenship, education and community life. Many Tokelauan families established roots in New Zealand, creating vibrant communities that have contributed to the country's social, cultural and economic fabric. At the same time, distance from the homeland has made language, family, faith and cultural traditions even more important as markers of identity and belonging.

The centenary offers an opportunity to reflect on both continuity and change.

Despite the reality that most Tokelauans now live outside their ancestral homeland, the language and values of Tokelau have endured. Families, churches and community organisations have played a vital role in ensuring that gagana Tokelau, traditional knowledge, songs and customs continue to be shared across generations.

For many Tokelauans, maintaining language has also been an act of resilience. New Zealand citizenship provided opportunities and mobility, yet Tokelauan communities, alongside other Pacific peoples, have at times navigated experiences of misunderstanding, discrimination and pressures to assimilate.

The survival and renewal of gagana Tokelau stands as a testament to communities who remained committed to passing on their culture despite these challenges.