From the 1930s, the people of Samoa were slowly given back more governance of their country. Following WWII, pressure grew for Samoa to be granted independence. On 24 November 1961, the Western Samoa Act was passed by New Zealand Parliament.

Samoa’s Independence came into effect from 1 January 1962, Western Samoa became a fully independent sovereign State under the name of the Independent State of Western Samoa having a constitution which has been adopted by the people of Western Samoa.

The story goes that our forefathers fought an uphill battle and blood spilt along the way, but the goal was to make Samoa independent.

The “Mau” was a non-violent resistance movement that spearheaded the Independence of Samoa, and whose members were subjected to violent suppression. Many of our ancestors were killed during this time and we commemorate them.

As a first-generation New Zealand-born Samoan, I am very proud of my Samoan heritage. I have witnessed changes over the years that are very promising for such a small pacific nation.

The proudest moment was last year’s elections, seeing the democratic process in action allowing the people to have their say. This saw the fall of a man who had dominated the political arena in Samoa for over 40 years, finally replaced by Samoa’s first-female Prime Minister and a change in government. Slowly but surely, we can see the changes becoming more transparent under a woman’s leadership.

Although the Samoan Independence took effect on 1 January, we celebrate it every year on 1 June. This year’s celebration was no different; our people came out to celebrate a significant milestone for our country and having Samoa’s Prime Minister attend the celebrations made the day even more special. We also celebrate our Independence with Samoan Language Week. It is important to embrace our culture and our language.

We have a lost generation who were brought up not speaking the language, encouraged instead to concentrate on education and speak English. Now it is a key skill to be able to speak another language on top of English and I am fortunate to be able to converse in both languages. Samoa will continue to thrive if we continue to ensure our children never forget their identity. They are Samoan and proud to use their skills in whatever they do in life.