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Story: Tokelauans

Porirua Tokelauans display their carvings, 1990

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Porirua Tokelauans display their carvings, 1990

In the 2010s almost one-third of New Zealand Tokelauans lived in Porirua. The community had its origins in the late 1960s when families moved from inner-city Wellington for better housing and work in factories. Tokelauans kept their culture alive by practising traditional carving and forming clubs. In the 2010s many Tokelauan men and women played rugby league, netball and volleyball for the Mafutaga Tupulaga Tokelau Porirua Sharks club.

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Pātaka - Porirua Museum of Arts and Cultures

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Tokelauans – Communities, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/729/porirua-tokelauans-display-their-carvings-1990 (accessed 3 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 March 2015.

Comments

miliama
31 May 2011
tokelau toku pele e he mafai ke puli i te loto