controversy erupts
p. 42 · Read in the full issue
Western Samoa
Cultural centre controversy erupts
By Martin Tiffany
AUCKLAND’S Western Samoan
community has slammed proposed
plans by the Western Samoan govern ment to pour money into a cultural centre in Manukau City in South Auckland.
Each week South Auckland’s West ern Samoan families send thousands of dollars and food to their home country to support unemployed relatives and
repair damage from Cyclone Val. This
repatriation often puts a strain on the budgets of the Auckland Samoans.
Val ravaged Samoa in December 1991 destroying crops, homes, and businesses and leaving the economy in tatters with the estimated destruction put at SWS662 million. When Val struck, the country was still trying to recover from Cyclone Ofa which hit in February 1991 leaving a trail of destruction to the tune of SWS3O6 million.
Western Samoans in South Auckland say their government has got its priorities wrong and should use their limited finances to help boost the island nation’s
ailing economy.
In October Western Samoa’s finance minister and the consul general in Auckland met with the Manukau city council in Manukau to discuss taking the tender for the site of the proposed
cultural centre. The council earlier called for tenders for the 15ha site after a proposed “Superdome” sports venture project fell through.
The Western Samoan government approached the council within weeks of advertising according to Manukau Mayor Sir Barry Curtis. A nine-hole goll course project is the only other proposal that has been put forward for the site.
A spokesman for the Samoa Tofautasi Trust in Otara, South Auckland, Seiuli Seiuli, said he could not understand his government’s reason for putting money into Manukau when the funds were badly needed back home. He said while it was good the Western Samoan govern ment wanted to promote Samoan culture in New Zealand people back home needed the support first.
According to Tofauatasi president Letele Amani the Manukau Samoan community and church groups help promote Samoan culture to their youth especially those born and raised in New Zealand. He said he could not see how the Western Samoan government could justify financing a centre when families in Western Samoa were so hard up.
SUPERDOME a glamorous project that was in reality a risky dud for investment