The staff at Family Start Manukau celebrated Samoan Language Week, Sunday 28th May to Saturday 3rd June, by dressing in national clothing and bringing yummy treats to the office! Malo lava team FSM!
Samoan staff members in their national dress
The colourful clothing really brightened the office!
We ate tasty treats like fa'ausi ...
... and panikeke. Yum yum!
Five fast facts about Samoa
- Samoa is the western-most group of islands in Polynesia
- It has been an independent country since 1962, and is a member of the Commonwealth
- Samoa is not to be confused with American Samoa, another group of Pacific Islands that belong to the USA to the south east
- The Samoan language is one of the most commonly spoken languages in New Zealand, and Samoan Language Week is the longest running language week event, starting in 2007
- In December 2011, Samoa moved itself to the other side of the International Date Line. Before it was 21 hours behind Sydney, now it is three hours ahead. This change was to help boost trade with other countries in the region.