At Pukepuke ‘o Tonga, our story begins in Tonga in the early 1900s with our Great Grandfather, Vili Pusiaki (Viliami Kaufusitu’a Toutaiolepo Pusiaki 1874-1950). Vili Pusiaki was blessed with the duty of working alongside the Late Queen Salote Tupou III, who gifted the Lomipeau singing group from the village of Lapaha with 9 poems. As the leader of the Lomipeau, Vili Pusiaki’s role was to create the composition and choreography for her poems, which were then taught to the village and presented to her Majesty.

The tradition was passed down to our Late Grandfather Tuila (Soane Ngutukoula Tatuila Pusiaki 1921-2000), who carried on his work in Tonga until migrating to Auckland in the mid-90s. There, he continued to teach Faiva Faka-Tonga. In early 2000, Tuila and his children established Pukepuke ‘o Tonga to continue preserving, teaching, and passing on Tongan Culture and Heritage through Tongan Arts and rituals.

Our father ‘Alusa (Paulo Ahosivi Tatuila 1952-2014) continued his father’s work here in Auckland. Pukepuke ‘o Tonga translates as The Preservation of Tonga, and as the 4th generation from Vili Pusiaki, we are proud to continue his legacy in preserving, teaching, and sharing the knowledge that has been passed down to the wider Tongan Community here in Aotearoa and abroad.

As a community organization in Auckland, we are dedicated to preserving and showcasing the beauty of Tongan culture through creative arts, events, and an online shop. We work closely with Tongan communities in Auckland to produce and develop programs that demonstrate the power of creative arts by empowering and growing future practitioners and leaders. We research and advocate for arts-based community development to help connect people, ideas, resources, and communities together in a meaningful way.