Candidate for Manukau East

(List Rank 5)

Papali'i Tuifaasisina Poutoa PAPALI'I is married to Leutu and they have three children, aged 27, 25 and 19 years. He is also the proud grandfather of four delightful grandchildren.

By way of background, PAPALI'I was born in 1958 in Samoa: the eldest child of Pailate and Lanuola Papali'i who hail from the villages of Sapapalii and Saleimoa respectively, his family arrived in Otara in 1962 and are foundation members of the Otara Presbyterian Pacific Island Church. Apart from the clothes his parents wore and a few shillings in their pocket, they relied heavily on the church and their families to get by, the two foundation pillars of the Family Party.

Today, Otara is home to four generations of the Papali'i family.

He attended East Tamaki and Yenderra Primary Schools, Ferguson Intermediate, Hillary College and then on to Auckland University where he obtained a degree in Anthropology. His career background involves time with Housing Corp (now Housing NZ) before taking the plunge into self-employment. For the past ten years he has run a successful trucking franchise, starting from an old Ford truck which has grown to four trucks together with his sons.

His family are members of the Manukau Presbyterian Pacific Island Church and he continues a strong legacy of community involvement, having played, coached and administrated for the Rugby, Rugby League and Cricket clubs in Otara, Papatoetoe and Otahuhu.

"As I reflect again back on my own childhood, the sight of earthmovers and tractors clearing the farmlands and landscaping desolate areas in Otara represented for me the birth and innocence of a new community. I witnessed harmony and happiness that characterised the vast majority of families in our community. Families weren't necessarily rich compared to today's standards. But they were functional. They were healthy. They were safe. And they were happy. They were also ambitious and had high hopes for the future. Our parents worked hard and sacrificed much so we could have an education and a better start in life. As a community, we shared a societal conscience that knew right from wrong. Good from bad. We knew the boundaries and consequences of bad choices. Interestingly, we didn't derive this conscience from the laws or from government. We derived it from family and a generation of parents who cared enough to show us the way. Indeed, the standout aspect that underpinned everything that was good was the family. 46 years later, it pains me to admit that this is no longer the case. I am convinced that the solution to the vast majority of problems we face today, is in coming back to the basics. We need to revive traditional Christian and family values and put families first again in Parliament. That's why I am standing for the Manukau and for the Family Party."

Papali'i Tuifaasisina Poutoa PAPALI'I

Meet the Candidate

Meet the Candidate

Date: Friday 24th October 2008

Time: 7pm

Venue: Greenlane Christian centre

Meet the Candidate

Date: Tuesday 28th October 2008

Time: 10:00am 

Venue: The Pakuranga Electorate Headquarters, 171 Pilkington Rd, Panmure.

Meet the senior students

Date: Wednesday 29th October 2008

Time: 1pm - 3.30pm 29.10.08

Venue: Otahuhu College

Radio Samoa 1593am

Date: TBC

Time: 8pm - 9pm

Venue: Radio - Channel 1593am