Welcome to Keynote - Toeolesulusulu Damon Salesa, Pro Vice-Chancellor – Pacific, University of Auckland!
Authors of the Pacific future: how Pacific narratives change the world
Authors of the Pacific future: how Pacific narratives change the world
Damon acknowledges LIANZA PIMN - great work!
#LIANZA19
#LIANZA19
Literacy is very special to Pacific people "In the beginning was the word..."
Missionaries had real success when they wrote down the word. The most widely read text in the Pacific is the bible.
Early on books sold out quickly and every home had books. Pacific people were teaching other pacific people to read.
The challenge was not literacy, we needed libraries!
Remind young people that they are part of a genealogy of voracious readers and writers
The colonial idea of a public space overlaps with Pasifika in the area of writing 
Written constitutions are vital documents - law and the Christian values are a key focus
Early schools are teaching reading but the focus is practical - producing farmers and wives...
It is only the last couple of generations that a deep teaching of literacy has been taught.
We haven't finished our decolonization revolution and we are facing a digital revolution. We have skipped phones and gone directly to smart phones.
New connections, new content, new services = new challenges
The world of #DigitalPacific - greater access to content making and sharing. Short forms and multimedia. Pacific leadership in new media is emerging. But even the new social media are made profoundly Pacific.
3/10 of the most followed NZers on social media are Pasifika.
3/4 of friends of Samoans are real-life friends
3/4 of friends of Samoans are real-life friends
Digital promises more opportunities to read more content and for free, development of new forms of Pasifika content.
But a handful of companies own the content. 50% of internet traffic in Samoa is Facebook
But a handful of companies own the content. 50% of internet traffic in Samoa is Facebook
We see a new divide of cost, access, speed, trust and literacy.
The rain came from Manu'a - we should have seen this coming for a long time
Let's envision a Pacific future that we can make happen.
Last year half of all births in NZ were not Pakeha.
Imagine what our population will loo like in 20 years.
Last year half of all births in NZ were not Pakeha.
Imagine what our population will loo like in 20 years.
We've seen 300% increase of Pacific population in places like Waitaki and Waimakariri in the last few years. The future is already happening.
Half of NZ Pakeha are over 43. Think about what retirement homes will look like in 20 years time with these shifts.
There's a leadership challenge that hasn't been met
Will our leaders change as our population changes?
How can rethink our approach? A gradual change won't keep up! Not with the rate of population change!
Innovation will come from this new generation - they are not going to wait for change to happen for them
They are driving innovation that we can watch and learn from.
Churches aren't the answer they once were
Damon announces a new high school text book written by Damon called Pacific Studies for Young Pacific People. There will be a free PDF online and teacher workshops.
Damon's speakers fee is going towards this initiative and the books you donated to our Conference Challenge reflect this lianza.org.nz/events/lianza-… Thank you all! There is still time to donate at the LIANZA Lounge during #LIANZA19
The book will be available next year! Fa'afetai!!
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