In honour of Tokelau Language Week, Vaka Tautua is celebrating the work of our staff member, Les Atoni, who has done so much to preserve the language and culture of his homeland, Tokelau.

Manoa Tuatai, who turned 80 last month, is one of the treasured Coordinators for Vaka Tautua’s Matua Ola Manuia Day Programme. The programme helps our Pacific matua (older people) stay connected with their communities, and encourages them to lead active, healthy lives.

As a proudly Pacific organisation, Vaka Tautua recognises the importance of Pacific languages and cultures to the work we do in the community. To promote language as a cornerstone of the wellbeing of Pacific peoples, our teams celebrated Le Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa (Samoa Language Week) and 60 years of independence for the nation.