Week of sharing Samoan knowledge

From siva performances to panikeke treats, Samoa Language Week was widely celebrated earlier this month by the more than 200,000 Samoans who call New Zealand home.

The annual event promotes the Samoan language, or gagana Samoa, through events, activities and learning opportunities across Aotearoa.

This year’s Samoa Language Week theme, “‘E afua mai i mauga tetele manuia o le nu‘u”  (“From the high mountains are the blessings of the village”) celebrated the collective efforts of families, communities, leaders and educators in supporting future generations. Additionally as part of this year’s celebrations, Malamalama Moni Aoga Amata (MMAA), a Palmerston North childcare centre, launched four new bilingual Samoan children’s music videos, continuing its commitment to preserving and strengthening the language for future generations.

The music videos were launched in collaboration with award-winning children’s music duo “The KaRs” and supported by the Creative Communities Scheme, the project builds on a successful 2025 collaboration that produced 10 original songs and two music videos. Among them was I’a Mase’ese’e (Slippery Fish), which has attracted more than 100,000 views on YouTube.

Featuring MMAA tamaiti (children), the new videos use music, storytelling and play to support language learning, which aim to strengthen cultural identity and bring communities together through the joy of gagana Samoa.

Kane Parsons, one half of the KaRs duo, said the collaboration demonstrated the power of community partnerships in supporting language learning. 

“Music has an incredible way of bringing language, culture, and community together. Seeing tamaiti singing confidently in gagana Samoa through these songs and videos has been incredibly rewarding for all of us involved,” he said.