THE NAME “PASIFIKA COMMUNITIES UNIVERSITY”

The use of the term “Pasifika“ signifies ‘a new awareness’. It is more about social transformation and self-determined awareness than geographical specifications. It underscores our sense of resilience in creating our own future that we want. Pasifika is our way of resisting the colonial and neocolonial narratives and restorying and telling ourstory in a different way.

The use of the term “Communities“ recognises three things. First, for so long, higher educational institutions have confined their focus to the dominant colonial ‘institution-based’ and ‘classroom-based’ education system that normally sidelines the voices and values of communities, especially grassroots communities. They only go to the communities to ‘apply’ theory learned in the classrooms. This University values a communities-based learning approach, returning learning to the communities, valuing the integration of theory and practice. Second, this communities focus offers a wider inclusive vision of the reach of the University to bring the voices of the communities back to the education sphere. Third, the use of ‘communities’ rather than ‘community’ respects the complexity, multidimensionality, and relationalities of Pasifika communities often overlooked by one-dimensional systems, policies, or educational models.

The term “University“ is not so much referring to an institutional centre of knowledge but rather a vision and movement for transformational education that recognises diverse communities of learning and knowledge productions.