Samoan Language Week

The 2026 theme for Samoa Language Week is 'E afua mai i mauga tetele manuia o le 'nu'u - From the high mountains are the blessings of the village'.

It's a Samoan proverbial expression with many layers of meaning. The mountains, the land, the sea, and the horizon are all important natural resources that support the Samoan way of life.

• The high mountains provide timber for houses, buildings, and sea transport. They are also home to trees and crops such as coconuts, taro, pawpaw, and mangoes, which are used for food, medicine, and materials. Leaves and trunks can be used to make items like baskets.
• The blessings of the village refers to the benefits these resources provide to communities. This includes homes and places of residence, as well as livestock, birds, and marine life that help feed people and support their wellbeing.
• Mountains also provide shelter for families and villages, some of which have lived in the same place for many generations. Because of this deep connection to ancestry and community, the theme is a reminder that wisdom, wellbeing, and blessings are passed down through generations and nurtured within families and villages.
• The expression can also be used as a metaphor - the mountain represents God, the creator of all things, and the source from which blessings flow to all people.

What's on this week

Tuesday 2 June

• 8am - Ava o le Feiloaiga, Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate, Auckland

• 8am - Porirua City Samoan Flag Raising, Pataka Museum, Porirua

• 10am - SAASIA Opening Lotu/Tatalaina o le Vaiaso Gagana Samoa, Mapusaga Aoga Amata, Christchurch

• 11am - Sisiga Fu’a, Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate, Auckland

• 4:30pm - Samoan community Waste Minimisation Workshop, EFKS Porirua Church, Porirua

Wednesday 3 June

• 12pm - Samoa Tuiga workshop, Pataka Museum, Porirua

Thursday 4 June

• 5:30pm - Samoan Language Songs Video release, EFKS Palmerston North

Friday 5 June

• 8:30am - Aso o le Aganu’u, Te Haikura a Kiwa, Auckland

• 10am - Closing/Tapunia, Seugagogo Aoga Amata, Auckland

• 11am - Samoa Language Week Closing Ceremony, Nelson