There weren’t many Palagi kids around by the time David Riley hit his senior years at Mangere College. Quite a few Māori and PI kids, though. And some of them became such good friends that David found himself being drawn into their worlds, in a way that’s left a lasting impression.
He’s still in South Auckland — living in Manukau, and teaching at Tangaroa College in Otara, where his efforts to inspire his students has led to him writing and publishing books about Māori and Pacific role models and Pacific legends.
Here he talks to Valley Wandstraat about how growing up in Mangere changed his view of the world.
So what was it like growing up in Mangere, South Auckland, in the ‘70s and ‘80s?
The Mangere I grew up in was probably more multicultural than it is now — there were more whites back then. My parents still live on the same street today, but now there’s only two Palagi families living there.
I went from primary through to high school in Mangere. I’d always been around Māori and Pacific kids, but until I got to sixth form at Mangere College I’d mostly hung out with some white kids. But they ended up leaving school. Then I met this Samoan kid, Ieti Lauaki, who lived at the end of my street. I went over to his house and it was the first time I tasted taro, and learned about Samoan culture.
The thing I loved the most about that experience was the sense of family. Ieti went on to uni, and when I joined the year after, he introduced me to his group of friends. That’s when I really got stuck into Samoan life. I met another great Samoan friend, Junior Natanielu, who introduced me to his family and his church. They were part of the Grey Lynn Fetuao Ao Methodist church so I joined in too. I remember the lotu (prayers) in the evenings, the church beach trips, kilikiti, aoga aso sa (Sunday school), being part of the church youth group (with adults in it!), and singing those church hymns. It was new for me and I loved being around it. That’s where I really learned how to speak Samoan and learn the language. It was like total immersion.
I also learned by singing the songs of groups like the Five Stars and Punialava’a. Samoans at uni used to get a shock when I’d pull out Punialava’a cassettes. Singing helped me get the flow of the words, and I came to really love the Samoan language through songs.
I remember we had an elderly Samoan guy who moved in next door to us and I used to go over and ask him to translate some Samoan songs for me. There was this one song from Punialava’a with the most beautiful harmony and melody that I asked him to translate, but it turned out to be a song about giving advice to drivers! Like, slowing down when you’re driving through a village. That was a crack up.
My Samoan has always been at a conversational level. I learned by asking friends how to say everyday sentences, and then writing them down in a notebook. I’ve got all these notebooks and scrap pieces of paper collected in a box, along with Niuean, Tongan, Tuvaluan and Māori words and phrases too.
What did your parents think about this change in you?
I just did it and didn’t care. I remember the first time I went to Samoa. That was with my close friend David Unasa and his family. We went to Mangere College and Auckland Uni together. I was 21 at the time and David’s family were going for his father’s saofa’i — he was getting a matai title. We stayed in David’s village of Faleseela, Lefaga.
I came home and thought: I don’t need any of this stuff in my room. And I put my mattress of the floor because I missed that feeling of not having a lot but feeling satisfied.
My parents are pretty easy-going and weren’t bothered. They just knew I was doing my own thing. They even got used to hearing Samoan music coming from my room.
I love learning and experiencing other cultures, but I’m also proud to be Palagi, and appreciate my cultural heritage.
My dad is Australian, and of Irish ancestry. My mum is a fourth generation Kiwi. Her ancestry is Scottish, Irish and Isle of Man. Dad worked in a shoe factory, Mum as a ward clerk at Middlemore Hospital. I have two brothers. One is a truck driver, the other works for a freight-forwarding company. My brothers have Māori friends. One of them had a relationship with a Māori girl and they have a daughter. But they didn’t really go as deep into learning about Māori and Pacific cultures as I did.
Your wife, Lauano Sulufaleese Deborah Riley, is Samoan, of course, so you’ve well and truly married into the culture. How did you two meet?
At teachers’ college. When I found out she was Samoan, I spoke in Samoan to her, and I think it shocked her. She said she wanted to marry someone who would respect her culture. She was a primary school teacher but now she’s an RTLB (Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour). She’s New Zealand-born and grew up in Manurewa.
My daughters (Santana and Maycee) don’t speak Samoan because we don’t use it much at home except for random words and phrases. That’s partly why we like to go to Samoa when we can, so they can learn more.
How has growing up in Mangere and those early experiences shaped you as a person?
I’ve been influenced by Māori and Pacific culture in a way that’s shaped my values, the way I see the world and how I treat people. I see how there’s respect for people, especially grandparents. As a teacher, I always try to find ways we can tap into grandparents’ knowledge. This hasn’t always been seen as a valuable resource in a school setting, probably because they see old people who can’t speak English, but to me, they are filled with so much knowledge that we can learn from.
For example, I gave my English students a speech topic called Show me how. This gives them the opportunity to demonstrate something they know how to do. One girl did a presentation on Tongan dance. Her family, including her grandmother, helped her prepare her speech, traditional costume and the movements she would demonstrate. They all came to class on the day of her assessment to help her dress and to watch her performance.
This is similar to what I give to my drama students. We have a topic called Mihi where the students introduce themselves in a theatrical way. One of the tasks they have to do is research the origins of their names: possible meanings, who gave the names, why the names were given, and so on. This research draws on the knowledge of their family members including their grandparents.
That’s an important thing I’ve gained from growing up in Mangere. Being able to appreciate and respect elders.
As a teacher, and based on your experience working with young Māori and Pacific Island people, what challenges do you think they’re facing today?
I think it’s a fear of new things — the fear of being uncomfortable and being around people or situations they’re not familiar with. Last term, I took a class to see a play in Balmoral and some of the students didn’t know where Balmoral was, or hadn’t been in the city before.
I think that’s because they’ve grown up learning and familiarising themselves with certain places that their families travel to and they feel comfortable in those surroundings. When they’re outside their comfort zone, they don’t quite know how to adapt to it. It’s the same in the classroom. When they come across something they’re not familiar with, they don’t feel like they can attempt it or have the confidence to do it.
Another challenge many face is trying to live in multiple worlds and adapt to the sometimes really different expectations, values, language, goals, and ways of doing things of those different worlds. Like how to balance school expectations with family needs. That’s a big one.
For example, parents might need them to drive them somewhere, but that means they’re missing important lessons at school. Or they might be expected to attend church practices for a special event yet also be expected to complete homework for school. Or they have to wake up early to attend Bible lessons, then find it hard to concentrate at school in the afternoon. I think that’s really challenging for lots of young people.
There’s also the challenge of navigating social media and how to deal with conflict in productive ways rather than calling out people on social media or responding to things said about them. I know many young people find that really hard. Also knowing what’s appropriate to post and share with the world, and what should be kept private or personal.
From what I’ve seen, Māori and Pacific young people want to have a good relationship with their teachers and the school. Relationships are very important to them. They value teachers when we’re patient, understanding, respectful, interested, and when we use humour. They find it hard to learn when we don’t do these things.
So what can be done to change this? What’s worked for you?
I think exposing young Māori and Pacific people to new experiences and doing new things will help that. Looking back, I had a pretty cruisy upbringing. My parents didn’t mind if I stayed at my friend’s house or if I wanted to try new things. I know that’s different in Pacific cultures but letting them try and exposing them to new experiences is a good thing.
Tell me about your Pacific Heroes book series. How did that start?
I was teaching English at the time and I gave my students a project to research a hero from their culture. After class, two of my Niuean students approached me and said: “We don’t know any Niuean heroes. Can you just give us a Māori or a Samoan one to do?”
I told them not to be discouraged, and we started looking for written material on Niuean heroes but couldn’t find anything targeted towards young people. I knew there was a lot of academic material on Pacific Island stories from my time at uni, but there wasn’t anything written specifically for Pacific teenagers — things about their history, culture, or stories from where they’re from.
So that’s where I started. I began my research so I could help my students.
I shared my idea with a friend of mine, who’s Niuean, and he said: “You’re thinking too small. Niueans in Avondale and North Shore will want to read this, so you should turn this into a book so more kids can read it.”
So, that’s how the first book, We Are the Rock, came about. I remember one student from Mangere College telling me that she got a merit for her assignment after using my book for her research. I was so happy about that.
We get to hear Pacific stories through verbal storytelling from grandparents and those stories are also told through performances like the ones we see at Polyfest, but it’s really hard to find these in books, or written in a way that young people can relate to.
I was inspired by Alan Duff’s Māori Heroes and his concept, so after the first book, I wrote Samoan Heroes. I’ve just finished writing Tongan Heroes.
You’ve also written several biographies on Māori and Pacific sports people. How hard was it to get people to be part of your project?
I wanted to write about people who would appeal to my students, especially boys. I’d take my students to the library and ask them what they wanted to read about. They’d say “Sonny Bill Williams”, and we’d find a book, but it’s written for adults and doesn’t appeal to them. So, I started looking into biographies and wrote my first one about Benji Marshall, the rugby league player.
When you write a biography, you don’t need that person’s permission, but I always want to give that person a heads up. So I emailed his manager thinking he may come back and say no, he doesn’t want to be involved. To my surprise, they emailed back and said yes. Over time, I’ve found that the people who say yes either have an education background or are people who can see that this is helping kids improve their literacy and it’s not about making money from people’s names.
Some Māori or Pacific historians may see your work as exploiting their cultures. What’s your response to that?
With each book, I run my ideas past people who I know have experience and knowledge of Pacific legends or culture. Like when I wrote the Samoan book, I worked closely with Dr Malama Meleisea from the Centre of Samoan Studies, in Samoa. I give them my ideas, they give me feedback and they help me choose the people and stories I should write about. As much as I can, I send the stories about legends to the appropriate people and try to contact families who have links to specific stories too.
I’ve heard someone say that “Palagis writing about Pacific stuff is problematic, but necessary” — and that’s how I view it. For me, yes, it can be problematic, but I can’t find these resources to give to my students. And I can’t wait. Or wonder if someone is going to write them. If I can’t find these things for them, then I do it myself because I really enjoy it.
People probably see my name or look at me and assume that I’m trying to make money off their culture. I don’t blame them for thinking that because there have been instances of that in our society. That’s not what I’m about, though. I’m passionate about Māori and Pacific stories because it reflects what I grew up around and who I am today.
Has this been a profitable project for you?
I’ve had to fund this project myself so it’s not a profit-making exercise, but what it has done is allow me to teach part-time and time to write so I can put the books out. It’s not making us suffer, but it doesn’t make me rich either. Each book provides enough to fund the next book. The only time I was in debt was when I put out the first book. I was $2000 in debt, and yeah, that may not be huge to business people, but to me it was big. I’ve learned a lot about printing costs since then.
Of all the books you’ve written, what’s your favourite?
It would have to be Olympic Islands. I just love that book. These are stories about Pacific Olympians that are not often told. There’s the story about Hawaiian swimmer Duke Kahanamoku who competed in four Olympic games from 1912–1932. He won five Olympic medals, including a gold medal in 1912 in the 100-metre freestyle event. He’s even credited with introducing surfing to Australia and New Zealand back in the 1920s.
I love these stories and there’s so many of them like that, including one about a couple of American Samoans who went to the Winter Olympics as part of a two-man bobsled team.
So what’s next?
I’m working on Cook Island Heroes and a biography about Samoan boxer Joseph Parker. I met his parents last week and it was really cool talking to them. I got to go along to one of his training sessions, and talked to his manager. That was an amazing experience because I couldn’t hear his manager over the sound of his punches! He kept looking over to me to check if I was okay and I really loved that about him. He has a great character and that’s what I want to write about. I know that his story will inspire young people.
I’d also like to do a book on the history of combat sports in the Pacific. I saw some references to wrestling in the Pacific from Captain Cook’s early journals, so I’m keen to find out more. I’d also like to get into writing children’s plays based on Pacific legends and stories. I love taking my daughters to watch plays, but there isn’t a lot out there in terms of Pacific stories on stage for children.
What’s your advice to young Māori and Pacific people of today?
In Olympic Islands, I mentioned Epeli Hau’ofa (Tongan social anthropologist) who wrote: “If we think of the Pacific as a collection of small islands, small as in land surfaces, then our expectations may be small as well.”
He challenged that mindset and said “smallness is a state of mind”.
So, whenever I hear people say: “I come from a small island or a small village and I’m trying to make my way in this world,” I think of his words. We shouldn’t see the world that way — and that’s the thing I love and want to share with my students. When I hear someone say: “Even though I come from South Auckland”, or “even though I come from Otara”, I tell them to change it to: “I’m successful because I come from South Auckland.”
Sometimes, I suffer from that mentality, too. I’m always battling that way of thinking and I remind myself that it doesn’t have to be that way.
My students have made me what I am today. They help me to be a better teacher, and I learn and grow because of them. If there’s one thing I want to teach them, it’s to be brave and not to be afraid of new experiences.
To find out more about David’s books and upcoming projects, check out this website.
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Kia Orana David..such an
Kia Orana David..such an inspiration!! Love your work and continue to do so!! I am Cook Island, born in Mangaia, moved to Australia at the age of 12 been living here for over 22years, lost my REO, and culture! My mother is half Austrian and Cook Island and she doesnt know her papaa side very well..I also know we have PNG descendants but cant quite catch up with that part as well, Its embarrassing really when I visit families back home and don’t speak our REO!! I’m looking forward to your new book of Cook Islands, and show my children who doesn’t know anything about our culture..your an inspiration, thank you David for everything your doing..Kia Manuia, and God bless!! ☺
I too grew up in Mangere and
I too grew up in Mangere and shared the same experience as you but with Rarotongan n Maori families lived with my Raro family for 2wks when my mum went to Aussie for a wedding. Back in 2015 my sister n I now living in Perth Australia went back to South Auckland after 28yrs n stayed with our Raro family loved every second of our visit n even get called ‘Aunty’ n ‘my palagi mum’ by a friends daughters n niece. I have 5 children of my own born in Aussie n would really loved to have taken them all with us but am planning another trip with our partners. I think growing up with them has made me who I am today n think it has made my children better people in this world too.
Tena koe e te rangatira e
Tena koe e te rangatira e David Riley.
Got so totally engrossed in this article and I must say it was written from the heart
Keep.up your wonderful mahi so the future generations of students will always have the resources to tap into. Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui. Mauri ora
Tena koe e Rehu. Thank you so
Tena koe e Rehu. Thank you so much for the encouragement. Nga mihi mahana.
Absolutely enjoyed reading
Absolutely enjoyed reading this piece and I think we may have met through a project I was working through the TPU last year! I will absolutely be hunting down your publications and sharing them through my connections.
Awesome Cara. Hope you’re
Awesome Cara. Hope you’re enjoying your year 🙂
Awesome interview. So good to
Awesome interview. So good to see fellow Mangerians do well. The talent in Sth Auckland is amazing. It’s hard to imagine that what we called normal back then could be classed as struggling. Waking up in the morning for primary school (Viscount) and both parents have left for work was normal (wasn’t it), a milk biscuit could be broken into four even pieces…lol. (Three out of five days was no lunch back then.) We didn’t have much but what we did have was all shared. At least that’s how I remember it. Thanks for briefly taking me down memory lane. Good memories.
Man those milk biscuits!
Man those milk biscuits! Great memories of growing up in Mangere, sharing everything with the brothers … not wanting to be the last one with the 1.5 Coke because the last one got all the subs! I really appreciate it all now 🙂
Thank you for this. I am from
Thank you for this. I am from otara and reside in Sydney and reading this took me back to my days in high school. My daughter was born here in Australia and she is always wanting to learn more about our culture. I know your books will help her as much as me!!
Awesome Jesse, all the best
Awesome Jesse, all the best you and your daughter 🙂
As an islander there in the
As an islander there in the mid seventies. Don’t let the critics cut you down. You’re doing a great job!. Keep it up. All the the best for future projects.
Thank you Sam, I need to hear
Thank you Sam, I need to hear encouraging words like that. It’s not easy when people criticise ay. Thank you so much. All the best for your future projects too 🙂
Malo lava David Riley, I’m
Malo lava David Riley, I’m so proud about this long piece of writing about everything especially your being successful because you are from South Auckland. It is so very true. I know you very well through my kids college education. They were all attending your classes and you are so humble. I didn’t know your Samoan is that deep. Keep up the good work, I’m sure your students love you and they believe and trust in you and what you do for them. Alofa atu ia Debbie and your girls.
Thank you Anonymous. Your
Thank you Anonymous. Your kids have helped me in my journey 🙂
To be honest, I used to
To be honest, I used to cringe whenever I found out a book about Samoa and/or Samoans was written by a non-Samoan. I used to think what rubbish has this author written about my people. This stemmed from past inaccurate stories (mainly research) about Samoans by non-Samoans. However, after reading this article, it reminded me [when I was in school years ago] of a book about Samoa in the school library. It didn’t appeal to me because it had all sorts of generalisations and claims from a “scientific” perspective. Very boring to some teenagers. There were no books or resources about Pacific legends (with the exception of Maui), traditions, histories from a teen/young adult genre context. Unless they were class handouts (i.e. Legend of Maui). Today, I believe Maori, Samoans and Pacific peoples are not publishing more of our stories [regardless of the target market] because there are those who don’t feel there would be an interest [market] in them. So, I guess self-publishing is the way to go. Here’s to more accurate stories about the Pacific that cater for different genres and to different generations.
Hey RS, i hear you and
Hey RS, i hear you and understand about your uneasiness of a non-Samoan writing about Samoan things. All I can say is that I had to write, because my students need this kind of work and we couldn’t find it. I’ve tried to be careful with the stories by showing them to Samoan advisors before publishing, so hopefully they are respectful and honourable to Samoans.
Hello David, it does surprise
Hello David, it does surprise me that from my time at school ’til now, with your (and others) contribution to Pacific literature that there was still a lack of reading materials based on aspects of Pacific cultures, given the large Pacific population in NZ. But thank you for taking the initiative to share our stories.
I just would like to say that
I just would like to say that I grew up with David and even back then he inspired me to be hardworking because he was a palagi in our school who worked hard and I wanted to be like him. I used to go to his place back in the day to pick him up for school and saw how he accepted me being a samoan into his group of friends. We see how people do have the ability to change and David used to read me things from one of his favorite authors – Barry Crump then I knew this guy was destined to write. I think David you are the proof that a zebra can change it’s stripes and if you can we all can about the way we see each other. Much Love to you my brother.
Meitaki Maata David, so
Meitaki Maata David, so inspiring. I am so looking forward to the Cook Islands story you will write. You are such an inspiration. With God’s help everything is possible. Kia Manuia.
Meitaki maata Mareta. Yes
Meitaki maata Mareta. Yes with God’s help everything is possible. You and Patsy do inspiring work with the kids in our school that others might look down on. Kia manuia 🙂
Very uplifting David well
Very uplifting David well said.Great reading for all races.Keep up the great work.
Thank you Tim, same to you 🙂
Thank you Tim, same to you 🙂
Malo lava Dave..
Malo lava Dave..
keep up the great inspiring work Bro..
long time since ex Uni Asosi days
Douglas
Malo lava Dougie! The asosi
Malo lava Dougie! The asosi days gave me a great foundation. Thank you for helping me learn Samoan culture and language 🙂
bro, you the man, like our
bro, you the man, like our kids would say…keep up the crusading, say talofa to my bro lio v, and you are officially invited to the KKK, Kelston kava klub, to give your testimonial, every friday at 4pm, in our staffroom.
Hey Paul, thank you for the
Hey Paul, thank you for the invite. I’d be honoured to attend the Kelston kava klub 🙂
great writings David. your
great writings David. your Samoan Hero book and the others TC Samoan students loved to read about are not part of their writing portfolio. They are all inspired by the varieties of stories and we would like to thank you for that. God bless brother.
God bless you too Rasela.
God bless you too Rasela. Faafetai lava 🙂
Beautiful! Awesome mahi to
Beautiful! Awesome mahi to create and collate stories so our kids can see they have heroes from their own people – and your tikanga is so good.
Kia ora Moana. I’m so glad
Kia ora Moana. I’m so glad you see the tikanga behind my work. It’s definitely to inspire our rangatahi 🙂
Great work, Congratulations
Great work, Congratulations David! yes, South Auckland in the 70s and 80s held great memories for a lot of us (lived in Mangere, attended Otahuhu College). Thank you for caring enough about young people of today.
Thank you too Mona Lisa 🙂
Thank you too Mona Lisa 🙂
Kia ora David inspirational
Kia ora David inspirational story e hoa. I remember you and your whanau, we lived around the corner on Wimpey Street. I’m proud to be from South Auckland too.
Kia ora James, South Auckland
Kia ora James, South Auckland has made us who we are 🙂
This is more than interesting
This is more than interesting it is inspiring.. I am from England but lived in Auckland Wellington and Waiouru for 18 years .my husband was in the New Zealand Navy and then they sent us to Australia .i would love to read your books and know so much more about the culture .That is wonderful job you are doing . I applause you .When I hear of the stuff they want to teach children today ,I hope there are many more teachers like you who really help them to find themselves and real values .Thank you
Thank you Margaret 🙂
Thank you Margaret 🙂
I am successful because I
I am successful because I come from Opotiki
An inspiring article and so
An inspiring article and so good to get the back story of a writer whose work is so appealing.
Great going David! Your
Great going David! Your first book on the Niuean heroes that caught my attention> I am still a great fan of yours! And I love to tell pple I am from Otara!
Thank you Ane. Proud Otarian
Thank you Ane. Proud Otarian 🙂
Thank you Valley Wandstraat
Thank you Valley Wandstraat for caring about your students and trying to teach them to be confident and successful in life. I really appreciate your enthusiasm and love for people and their different cultures.
Thanks for your comment, Ada.
Thanks for your comment, Ada. David Riley was the teacher and book author in this piece, while Valley wrote about his story for us.