In the 18 years Tofilau Nina Kirifi-Alai was the manager of the Pacific Islands Centre at the University of Otago, her best moments had always been attending the graduations of others.
It was rewarding to see the families of graduates arrive and to celebrate as a community, she said.
Now, she was graduating herself, with a master’s in indigenous studies from the university’s Te Tumu School of Maori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies.
Her academic work was deeply entwined with the university, as she completed her thesis on the development history of the Pacific Islands Centre.
She moved into a new role at the university in 2020, as Pacific community engagement manager.
The last time she graduated was with a bachelor of laws in 2001 from Auckland University.
In terms of Pacific students and how they were looked after, the University of Otago was ‘‘the best in the country’’.
It had a Pacific strategic framework with an office, and a director in charge of implementing its goals.
Tofilau described the university as being ‘‘like a village,’’ which looked after all its members.
She would like to see other universities follow in Otago’s footsteps.
There was a growing number of students from the Pacific studying in New Zealand, and many were attracted to Otago because of its positive reputation.
It had been a long journey to completing her degree.
Due to work and community commitments, her studies had to be picked up and put down a number of times.
‘‘I’m so proud I finished it,’’ she said.
She would move on to a PhD, but she was not interested in going into teaching.
Instead, she was focused on developing relationships between the Pacific community and the university.
‘‘There's a need for people like myself in a community to try to bridge that gap,’’ she said.
