www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2015 MODERN MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES Hillmorton and the neighbouring Christchurch suburb of Hoon Hay is, pretty much, where I did all of my growing up, and in fact, these shops here were, pretty much, the centre of my world. All the kids hung out here, mainly just to play spacies at the fish and chip shop and to give each other a hard time. I was born in NZ, but my parents come from Tokelau, which is three tiny coral atolls north of Samoa, with a total population less than 1400 people. So there weren't a lot of Tokelauans growing up back here in the day, but in more recent times, my old neighbourhood has become a more diverse neck of the woods. So let me introduce to you some of the new NZers who call this place home. You'll meet a man from Nepal whose traumatic experiences have inspired him to help others. At my work, I could see lots of people who had leave their country, flee from their country, and they never meet their family members, you know? So I say, 'OK, I'm not alone.' A woman with Samoan parents shares her hopes for the next generation. We have issues, like communication issues between our Pasifika parents and their children. We need to break this cycle. Being ashamed of talking about stuff like sex and stuff like that and be able to talk and be open to the kids. We'll discover how a football jersey makes an Irishwoman feel at home. So, we have the kilt crest here. So, Inch Rovers is the name of the club, and you'll see on the crest here it has the little church, and actually I got married in that church only... not even two years ago now. So yeah, that's a pretty special place in my heart as well. And a woman from Nigeria cooks up a family meal just like her mother used to make. Each time she'll cook, she'll chat among our neighbours and invite people over to come and eat, especially during the weekend. Our house is always full of people. She always loved to cook. I'm Jason Fa'afoi, and this is my neighbourhood. URBAN MUSIC PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC Now, this is Hoon Hay Park, and back there is the maintenance shed where my friends and I used to hang out on the roof, and we nicknamed it The Sorrow Spot. This is where we used to share our tales of woe, and that's just a nice way of saying one of us got a clip around the ears. Now, in the '60s and '70s, the three tiny islands of Tokelau, which are only 10km2 in total, were busting at the seams, so the NZ government hatched a plan to resettle some of the population here in NZ. Now, my grandparents put my mother on a list without her knowing when she was just 16, and five minutes before the boat left, she was told she was coming to NZ. Her parents said to her, 'Matita, you've gotta go to NZ and find your future,' which she did. But sadly, while she was here growing up, her dad died, and she never saw him again. Now, being separated from your family is not easy, no matter where you're from, and Sade Iposu misses her mum back in Nigeria, but she's picked up a little trick to help her feel closer to home by cooking some of her mother's favourite dishes. SENTIMENTAL MUSIC Do you know? Your mum? Yeah, that's my mum. She's beautiful, isn't she? Yeah. And that is my mum again. Yeah, you look a little bit like her. Yeah, I know. I know. We look so much alike. My name is Sade. I was born in Nigeria in a city called Sagamu. I'm here with my old man and my four kids. We came to NZ in 20` February 2004, and since then, NZ has become a home. You remember? Yes. This is when you first arrived in NZ. Yes, I love this dress on you. I think someone made it in Nigeria. Serious? Yeah. Very nice. My husband, Shamsideen, he came to NZ to study, uh, for his PhD. That's why he came to NZ. All four of us. Yeah, four of you. My four beautiful troubles. Sweet troubles. But you can't live without us, so... I can't do without you. BOTH LAUGH Cooking is part of what I use to keep my culture going and to let my children know that, OK, you are here in NZ. You eat Kiwi food. My food is very important. You have to know how I eat my food. So we eat my food, and be thinking, 'Oh, what is she eating?' So they love it. Can I have some beef tripes? Yeah, of course. How many would you like? Like, yeah, 1kg. Beef tripe is a delicacy food in our dishes, the kind of food that people really enjoy a lot. Everybody in Nigeria loves it, and especially when we're having parties, special occasions, we use it to make our dishes. And do you have, uh, lamb shoulder? Yeah, we do have. OK, can I have 1kg of that? Yeah, of course. My mum was a perfect cook. She cooked very well, and honestly, my dad, he loved her food. When he got married to my mum and he tasted her food, and like, 'Oh, wow! This is perfect!' (LAUGHS) Today, I'm going to make egusi soup with, uh, vegetable lips. We call it Orishirishi in Nigeria. Orishirishi means, uh, different types of meat, fish, just a bit of everything together, to make it a complete, balanced diet. Yes. My mum teach me to cook these and to cut it. She normally cut it in a very nice size. She's perfect with it. She's got her different shapes she cuts ` (LAUGHS) depending on what she wants to use the cow tripe for. This dish is one of my favourite dishes. Uh, this is something that I always had when I was young, because my mummy always cooked it, and I love it. I love it. In Nigeria, it's very important for women to know how to cook, because it's expected of every woman that when you get married, you have to cook for your family, prepare a nice meal for them. So very very important. I don't have a recipe, maybe because I'm used to it, I know how to cook it, I know the quantity I want. So it, kind of, is in my head, so I just go for it. (LAUGHS) Nice aroma. (EXHALES) Ah, I love it. It reminds me of home. It's a really nice one. Mm. It's going to be yummy. Today, three friends are coming to share the food with me. Just like my mummy also, she always did that. Each time she'd cook, she'd share it among, uh, neighbours and invite people over to come and eat, especially during the weekend. Our house is always full of people. She always loved to cook. I think she found it as a passion. My mum, she passed away in 2002. Each time I cook and I see my family eating, I always remember her, because it reminds me of when I was young and we all ate together, and my mum would eat. She would cook, and I can see it in her. She's happy seeing us eating. So each time I see my kids, my old man eating, it always reminds me of her and makes me feel like, 'Wow, this a great thing that I've inherited from my mum.' Yes. Yes. TRANQUIL MUSIC Now, my dad was only 12 years old when he won one of the first scholarships to NZ. Now, he`he met my mother and they got married right here in Chur-Chur. Dad made a very special point that if he was gonna come all the way to NZ, that, uh, he'd get into the Kiwi culture, so rather than stick with the tight Tokelauan community, we ended up here. And check this out. This is a picture of me at this school, Rowley Primary, one of the only brown faces in the class. Things are a bit different now. Now, Pasifika kids face all sorts of challenges when they try to get to grips with their culture, and local woman Susana Muamua was just 15 years old when she went back to Samoa, and the experiences she had there gave her a special insight into some of the needs for the new generation. TRANQUIL MUSIC I was born in Wellington, and I lived there until I was 15 and moved over to Samoa in '94, uh, with my parents and my three brothers. Both my parents were born in Samoa ` uh, my mother in the village` in Savai'i and my father in Upolu. It was a good trip over there, but once that heat hit, it was, like, um, really different. The food was different. I missed going to play sport on Saturdays. I missed, um, my friends. There weren't that many opportunities when I got there, like, places I can go to and do the stuff that I did back in Wellington, which I really really missed. It was a bit of a struggle, but, you know, I made my decision to stay, and I needed to experience it and learn it and walk through the journey these` my people were walking through, so yeah. My husband's from Samoa, and that's where we, kinda, hooked up. (LAUGHS) So, we had, um` we had five kids in Samoa, then we came back to NZ, and I had my youngest son. It was pretty much something that me and my husband wanted was to bring the kids back to get a better education. Myself and a group of local mums who also have their children attending Hillmorton, we came up with a Pasifika parents' group, and we also help out with the Poly group, uh, when it comes to the Polyfest held here in Christchurch. Also, speech competitions and also just there for support, like mentor and support. It would be good, probably, just to run, like, a` either an eight-week or 10-week, um, boot camp course, um, at the park. What if there was a possibility of getting the youth involved? Mm. Making them the leaders of`of it. So they're actually helping out their parents as well, you know, and older people... and look after themselves as well. Another thing we do is, last year we, kind of, um, in the mornings we'll go around in our cars. 'Oi! What are you doing? How come you're not at school on time? Hurry up and get to school!' You know, kind of just trying to get them at school, um, with attendance, cos I think attendance, you know, these days are dropping, you know, are really low with our Pasifika kids, you know? And we're just trying to find ways we can get` um, we can solve those issues. That's, pretty much, our core aim, is just to support our kids' education, and just, you know, help them, you know, go throughout their journey and reach high, you know, aim for their goals. There are issues that I know of. We have issues like communication issues between our Pasifika parents and their children, and I can be hated for this ` you know, for speaking out like this ` but it's an issue that is happening, and it should be out there, that we as Pasifika parents need to say, 'Hey, OK, we need to break this cycle ` 'being ashamed of talking about stuff like sex and stuff like that and be able to talk 'and be open to the kids,' cos that's what I've done with my kids. So you got sports? What about your`? Where's your list of subjects? Oh, it's in the bag. Well, you have to get it so I can have a` have a look, cos I really want you to do that ESOL. Oi, me and you need to sort out your fundraising stuff. Yeah. This` There's money that needs to be in, um, this month, for your school trip. All good. READS: Spot starts school today. Good morning, Ms Bear! I'm proud of my kids. They're doing so well from coming from Samoa, you know, learning a totally different language, learning a different life, um, and just what they're achieving through school and sports has just made me really proud, yeah. We bring our culture here, but we also have to look at ways we can educate our kids, um, by`by using our culture and the NZ culture as well. So it is quite hard, but we are working on it, yeah, definitely. It's gonna be a long process. GENTLE MUSIC And here we are at Hillmorton High School. This was the scene of many great memories for me, uh, in particular the music department, which really helped foster my love for music, which kicked on into other things in my life ` working, uh, in music television and working in bands, and this school actually had the first ever NZ Rockquest winners, De Funk Express, and some of my mates were in that band, choice guys. And, uh, speaking of mates, we had all sorts here at Hillmorton High School. One in particular was a guy who ended up running with the skinheads and saved my butt from a good hiding once. Cheers, bro. Now, I truly believe growing up in this environment helped me relate to other people and cultures. Now, the Irish Club has been a social hub for the Irish community here in Christchurch for decades, and now it's helping a new generation connect with their culture. URBAN MUSIC Gaelic football and hurling are two Irish national sports. They've been played, I suppose, in different forms in Ireland over hundreds of years. So they form a key part, I guess, of Irish community. Every parish, every little village, every town has a club, a team, and, I guess, it's usually the heart of the area. So, I guess, that's a key part of why I love being involved, living` when I'm living overseas. My name's Fiona Deehan, and I was born in Cork in Ireland. I came to NZ five years ago. I guess we decided, myself and James, who's my husband now, both agreed we wanted to travel, and the timing was good, because work was getting sparser and sparser in Ireland. He's a bricklayer. I'd worked in just general admin-type roles, and we came to Christchurch. We were here about two weeks, and we loved it. We just` It` I dunno, it just felt right, if you know what I mean? All right, ladies, can we get nine on each cone? Yeah? Or have we nine on each cone? The Irish Society was founded, I think, in 1948, but really it's only since this influx since the earthquake that it's become more established in Christchurch. So we've gone from, when we came over first, having a group of 10 of us having a kick around on a Sunday morning to having three clubs now in`in the city. Gaelic football is probably the closest thing to a professional game that isn't professional in Ireland, beating even rugby and soccer. I love contact sport. I like just getting stuck in. I like in winter it gets muddy and dirty and whatever. I don't feel, like, nearly` I don't really feel accomplished unless I come off the field with a bang or a bruise or a bit of mud on me in some form. But yeah, I just enjoy the physical contact, to be honest, and just getting stuck in. My proudest achievement would be playing and winning in an All-Ireland final in 2006 with my club, Inch Rovers, back in Cork. Um, it was a proud moment for me because, well, I was wearing my club jersey, and there's a saying, I guess, everywhere in the world that it's all about the pride in your jersey. But it's not about the jersey itself. It's about what it represents. We` It was the first time that I played in an All-Ireland final. It was the first time the club had gotten to an All-Ireland final. Um, I got to share that with a lot of girls that I'd played football with all my life, um, as well as two of my sisters. Um, yeah. It just highlights the really special, um, day, I guess. So you have their club crest here, so Inch Rovers is the name of the club, and you'll see on the crest here, it represents that tiny little village that I'm from. So it has the little church, and actually I got married in that church only... not even two years ago, now. So yeah, that's a pretty special place in my heart as well. Um, this crest on the other side represents the Ladies' Football Association. But underneath, what makes this jersey unique is the fact that these were made especially for this particular final, So it says, 'All Ireland Intermediate Club Final 2006.' So yeah, it makes it, you know, really unique, and I guess what makes it even more unique is that it's the only jersey from that set that has the number seven on it. On that particular day, I was wearing number 7. I was playing wing back, um, and yeah, it was just... I didn't score, but hopefully did my defensive duties sufficiently. But, um, yeah, we got there in the end, and we won, but yeah, it's so` it really is a very special jersey to me. I just think` I think sport in general just brings people together, but I also love the` that other side of it, you know, just that`that people element of playing sport and`and the kind of things that it teaches you about yourself as well. You know, there's the kind of passion that it can bring out of you and the fire that's inside in you that you might not even know you had. Suddenly that competitive edge just, you know` it just drags it out of you. It's great. We do all celebrate our culture in different ways. Some of us, it's through sport, some of us through music, but I think we're all, kind of, united in the same idea that we're very proud of being Irish, and we like sharing our culture with our`our new home, I guess, you know, here in NZ. TRANQUIL MUSIC Now, this here is Hillmorton Hospital. This used to be the site of the Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum. Now this place used to get a bit of a bad rap back in the day, and I can remember many a bad schoolyard joke about getting sent here. But when I was at high school, we were given the responsibility of taking a Sunnyside patient for weekly walks, and that was one of my earlier lessons into myth versus reality. Now, Hillmorton Hospital these days is the venue for a lot of positive community initiatives, and Bishnu Pokhrel of Nepal is a man who's overcome extraordinary odds. He's taken that trauma, and he's turned it into a desire to help others. My role is, um, to work with, um, the refugee background people, and some of them are migrants as well. Going and talking to them, explaining the thing to them, what is mental health, what the services you can have in NZ, and also making sure that all the staff, the clinical staff, know about their background, their cultural needs. I enjoy visiting the refugee background clients, uh, who had a difficult, hard time like me. So, yeah, supporting them, to bring to the mainstream health system, talking to them and providing them the resources around them to have, taking them to the counselling, or medication ` you know, those sort of things. I like it. Sometimes I feel relief, uh, because at my work I could see lots of people who had, uh, leave their country, flee from their country and they never meet their family members, you know? Those sort of things, I heard the story day-to-day in my work about other refugee background people, so I say, 'OK, I'm not alone.' I was born in a small town in Nepal. I met my wife back in Nepal. Yeah, and we got married, uh, 12` 13 years ago. One of my daughters, she was born in Nepal, and after she was born, uh, she was �` 1� years old, then I had to leave my country. I was a school principal there, and there was a` the communist group, they have raising the arms against the government and the monarchy at the time, and mostly because they ` the Royal Nepalese Army ` at that time, they thought that I was helping the Maoist group and vice versa. And, yeah, they arrested me from my school, and they` for four days, they` I don't know, they, uh, blindfolded me, and, um, I didn't know where they took me, but, uh, after four days, I was ended in the prison. The physical torture, mental torture was there, and not enough food to eat, and, uh, my family were unknown about my situation, and most of the people were unknown, because people were arrested, and after that they`they killed them, most of them, and some were` they asked them to run away, they ran away, and they fired them. So yeah, it was hard. For me, they got, um` they poured me the cold water in the winter and switched on the fan. Yeah, the human rights group asked, you know, they pressured the government, to release me, so after six months they`they released me from there` from the custody, and there was a ceasefire, between the groups. I was working another five or six years on that, so back in 2005 again the ceasefire broke, and I was in the wanted list of the government, and my family were asking me to leave the country, because you` otherwise you will be killed here, and many of the friends were killed there, so I decided, OK, let's go, and I came to Thailand in March 2005. So I had to leave the country with a fake passport, and I was in a hotel and someone rang the door. I opened it and it was the Thai police. They arrested me there and took me to the` what they called IDC, Immigration Detention Centre, where I spent nearly 18 months before I came to NZ. Yeah, it was a hard time, and drinking all the time, and you know, not like to go to study, you know, feeling like not go to work as well. Yeah, but slowly the things came back on track again, and yeah, when my family joined, I had more responsibility as well, so I had to get on track and started working again, yeah. It was nearly 3� years, uh, because my daughter was just, um, you know, walking on her full feet at the time and now she was 4�, nearly 5 years old when she came here. I have two daughters and, uh, we are having another baby, and, um, my elder daughter, she is going to intermediate this year, and the other will join to primary school next month. Yes, now I am very happy. I have, uh, my children here, my family here, I have a good job, my wife works as well. Yes, I am very happy. So here's the house I grew up in. Number five. I remember playing cricket on the front yard with my brothers, and we managed to smash pretty much every window on the front there. Now, although we weren't totally immersed in the Tokelauan culture growing up, we've got loads to be proud about ` for instance, solar panels and coconut-powered generators are fast making Tokelau one of the first nations in the world to be completely powered by renewable energy. Or maybe I'm just proud because Mum and Dad bit the bullet and took the chance to come live here in NZ. But I'm stoked that Hillmorton is the place that's providing opportunities for people of all cultures to plant their roots here and call this place home. Captions by Philip McKibbin. Edited by Jessica Boell. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2015