275 Times July 2017

4
Helen Tau’au Filisi
GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
Helen is a prolific local author
and artist who has selfpublished
11 books since 2015.
She’s also a committed educator.
For Samoan Language Week,
Helen exhibited her work at the
Māngere Arts Centre, and held
workshops for local schools –
gifting each school with a book.
275 Times spoke to her
after the launch of her latest
project: ‘Fale Samoa’.
When did you decide to become
an author, artist and educator?
I went to Robertson Road
School, Māngere Intermediate
and Ngā Tapuwae College (now
Southern Cross Campus).
At primary school I loved painting
and drawing. In high school I
discovered that I enjoyed creative
writing too. Plus, I loved to
learn. It was something that my
parents instilled in me: doing
the best that I could to succeed
in my education. No excuses.
After I left university, I went into
teaching. But I knew that there
had to be more, and in 2015 I was
inspired by another teacher to
become a writer and illustrator.
What motivated you to selfpublish
books with Samoan/
Pasifika themes?
In the 1990s, while I was teaching
English at a high school in Ōtara,
I realised that there were very
few stories about our experiences
as Pacific peoples living in New
Zealand. So I started writing,
producing and directing plays for
South Auckland high schools.
My plays were informed by
the ancient stories of Samoa.
I’d learned about these stories
in 1989, while researching for
my first Masters degree.
I also started incorporating what
I’d learned into bilingual (English/
Samoan) picture books. (My
husband, Tofilau Fritz Filisi, is the
fluent Samoan speaker in our family,
so he does the translations.)
This was particularly important
for passing on the stories to our
children and the next generations.
What would you say to anyone
wanting to follow a similar path?
I’d encourage anyone interested
in pursuing a dream in any field
to learn the skills of the craft.
Getting lots of experience in your
chosen field will also help you
learn what needs to be done to
succeed. For example, teaching
creative writing helped me
understand themes, settings, and
characterisation. It also encouraged
me to write about things that were
important to me and my culture.
I’d especially encourage our youth to
keep trying if you know that you have
a talent and have been encouraged
to pursue it. Success stories are
about never giving up and pursuing
those goals till you reach them.
What have you done since
achieving your goal?
One of the values my parents
taught me was about giving
back to the community, so I
often gift books to individuals
or to schools where I speak.
I also recently ran some free
workshops for schools – not
only to share my stories, but
also to inspire students to go for
their dreams – especially in the
arts, storytelling and writing.
It’s important that children see
a variety of role models in our
community to encourage them
to strive for whatever they want
to do when they become adults.
And they need to know that
the time to prepare is now!
Helen’s books are sold at SAAB
Sei Oriana, next to the ‘Fale o
Samoa’ – corner Bader Drive
and Mascot Ave, Māngere.
Find out more about her work at
www.helentauaufilisi.com
or get in touch by email:
helentauaufilisi@gmail.com
whānau
4 whānau
Whānau4whānau, a
parent-designed support
programme is up and
running at the Māngere
East Community Centre.
The group is for parents who
have completed a parenting
programme, and who now
want to reach out and support
each other to practice and
build on their new skills.
Parents already attending are
enthusiastic about the programme:
“I really like that it’s parents
leading. And parents are planning
how and who we get to come
and tell us or show us about
things we want to know – as
well as working out what we
can do ourselves”, says one.
“Everyone supports one
another in their progress and
development – based on learning
and life skills for them and their
children”, explains another.
Together, the group will explore
opportunities in the community to:
• y undertake further education
– e.g. in te reo Māori,
gagana Samoa, health
and safety, korowai and
tāniko, bee keeping, etc.
• y develop skills to get into
paid work – e.g. bridging
courses, writing a CV, and
practising job interviews.
• y improve health and wellbeing
for themselves and their whānau
– e.g. cooking healthy meals,
zumba, mindfulness, mirimiri
and romiromi, mentoring other
parents, or starting a garden.
• y strengthen their relationships
with their children and
whānau whānui.
Parents interested in joining
Whānau4Whānau can contact
Maia on 09 275 6161.