Pacific people need to bring back entrepreneurial spirit

Those from the Pacific Islands need to find their entrepreneurial spirit according to the new minister whose job it is to turn around the job and education prospects of migrants in New Zealand who originate from the Pacific Islands.

Tuesday of this week saw the National MP Peseta Sam Lotu-liga sworn in as the new minister for Pacific Island Affairs. In his first speech at this position he spoke of how the migrants in New Zealand from the Pacific used to have their own successful business in their home lands, these were predominantly farming and fishing business but that they tended to be abandoned along with the migrants independent spirit on their relocation to New Zealand.

Me Lotu-liga is the first ever Pacific descendant to take on the role of National Minister, he says that his main priorities are to improve the employment rates and educational achievements of his fellow migrants in the country.

He acknowledged that the rebuild of Christchurch offers many opportunities for those with a trade but he also hopes that those from the Pacific Islands will form their own businesses here. He has found that there is a relatively low rate of entrepreneurial spirit here and that the Pacific People have this in their veins, it just needs encouragement. He says of his homeland that the people exploit the opportunities of their geographical location by making a living off the land and the sea yet once in New Zealand that don’t participate in the same sectors, although they are here in abundance.

He wants to change the way that the Pacific People begin their lives in New Zealand. Many go straight into traditional working class jobs which puts any ideas of their own businesses on a huge back burner and that it does not have to be this way. As a Minister who fully empathises with the difficulties that Pacific Migrants face his own experiences can help to assist those to a more successful future. The MP migrated to New Zealand when he was a toddler and started his life here in a home shared with 16 other people. His father walked the distance from Ponsonby to Parnell daily to work in order to save his bus fare to be able to afford a lunch. He comes from extremely humble beginnings and if he can make a success of his migration, he believes anyone