Taiuli Strategic Plan
The 30-year Taiuli Strategic Plan was officially launched by the Minister of Finance Hon. Nichola Willis, seen here with Tufaina Faraimo and representatives of ATCG youth in Porirua on 5 April, 2024.
Dignatries and community leaders at the official launch of the Taiuli Strategic Plan
Blueprint for Future
Speech by ATCG President Tenise Atoni at official Launch on 5 April 2024.
The Honourable Nicola Willis, Finance Minister, our local Member of Parliament the Honourable Barbara Edmonds (acknowledging VIPs/Elders).
Today we come together to commend to you a master plan that was gifted the name The Taiuli Master Plan, after the hardwood log in Tokelau.
The kānava tree grows and flourishes in the forest of Tongaleleva Atafu.
The matured log is called the Taiuli, this hardwood log is used by the master boat builder or tufuga and men to build and fashion canoes, houses, and other important crafts.
This log is known for its durability to withstand the elements lasting hundreds of years, and it is these characteristics this master plan aims to foster.
When our forebears journeyed from Atafu in Tokelau to settle here in Aotearoa New Zealand in the 1950s, many were young men who had a vision for the future for their families and our community – a vision that spanned decades.
Those early settlers were joined by others who resettled in the 1960s and 70s - it could be argued that some were in fact the first climate change refugees, in that it was weather events and living conditions that led to the Tokelau Resettlement Scheme of the 60s and 70s.
Downloaad the Taiuli Strategic Plan
ATCG President Tenise Atoni
By 1978, our community’s fundraising efforts resulted in the group being able to buy 5 hectares of land here in Cannons Creek.
In 1981 the Atafu Tokelau Community Group was officially registered as an Incorporated Society and by 1987 the Matauala Hall we gather in today was officially opened.
A 30-year vision of a centre for community activity for religious, social, cultural purposes was realised. We were the first Pacific group not affiliated to a specific church to have a centre of our own in Aotearoa New Zealand. It was then only fitting that 30 years after the centre was opened, we launched our 5-year Te Kanava Strategy in 2017.
While the 2020 Covid pandemic thwarted some of our plans, the strategy still provides a foundational platform for our strategic direction and future aspirations. So in keeping with the timelines set by our forebears, we present to you all today a 30-year, multi–generational strategy that has been in development for almost 3 years.
This Taiuli Master plan is the result of the consultation and deliberations underpinned by Tokelau values and the Te Kanava Strategy.
There are many people to thank for their involvement in this inspiring planning process, but I would like to make special mention of Craig Pocock and his team at BECA for their guidance, patience and expertise.
As our ancestors have done before us, this Taiuli Master Plan has a focus on how we meet the needs of the changing world and community we live in. This plan is a blueprint for the development of the Atafu Tokelau Community Group Inc. over the next three decades.
As an iterative community document it will evolve and develop over time with the community's needs by providing a constant guide for future generations towards achieving our social, cultural, economic and spiritual aspirations.
To our Atafu and Tokelau community — fakafetai lahi, we thank you for making this community what it is today.
Your sacrifices and passion never go unnoticed - kae maihe ko to loto nuku.
While this plan is a voice for us as Atafu Tokelau people, this Taiuli Master Plan is also an invitation to both central, local government, the private sector and to our home island of Atafu and the Tokelau government to partner with us in our kāiga solutions, and together, support the aspirations to build a community that is resilient and grounded in what is unapologetically Tokelau.
To all our young people - this Taiuli Master Plan is for you. The prayers, hopes and aspirations of our ancestors were laid down so that you could hold your fakahinomaga - identity. You are Tokelau. You are Atafu.
With the launch of this Taiuli Master plan we acknowledge the legacy our forebears have left us, and honour their vision to provide services and initiatives that will help meet the current and ongoing needs of Atafu and Tokelau communities in the Wellington region, and those communities associated with us.
President of the Atafu Tokelau Community Group in Porirua Tenise Les Atoni explained to radio station 531i the launch of the ambitious 30-year Taiuli Masterplan - a strategy that looks to drive the economic, social and cultural development of their community for the next three decades.
Supporters of the Atafu Tokelau Community Group
