Pacific Studies at Victoria University – 70 years of waiting over

The Minister of Pacific Island Affairs Mark Gosche launched the Department of Pacific Studies at Victoria University tonight.

The opening came nearly 70 years after the first suggestion that the university needed a department that focused on Pacific academic courses.

"This course has been 70 years in the making and it is a landmark for all New Zealanders to celebrate," said Mr Gosche.

"I hope it won't be another 70 years before Pacific studies is seen as an integral part of any University course of study in this country."

Mr Gosche said for many years the education curriculum did not recognise nor value the languages and cultures of the Pacific – New Zealand's mother region.

"It sounds incredible now but when I was at school it was easier to learn Latin or French than it was to learn te reo Maori, Samoan or any other Polynesian language," said Mr Gosche.

"I am pleased to see this is changing. Thanks to the work of many communities and peoples many our children have the opportunity to find out about their heritage, to learn their languages and study their ancestries."

Mr Gosche said the new department was a huge step in the journey New Zealand was taking as it recognised and respected its Pacific roots.

"This course is a welcome acknowledgment of the contribution that Pacific peoples have made to New Zealand and a recognition of the importance of celebrating Pacific diversity, culture and language."

Mr Gosche stressed the new course and others like it were not just for Pacific students.

"This course is for all New Zealanders if we are to truly live the assertion that Aotearoa New Zealand is a Pacific nation," he said.