Jan Taouma co-founded the first Samoan early childhood centre in New Zealand, the A'oga Fa'a Samoa, in Auckland in the 1980s. RNZ Photo / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Jan Taouma co-founded the first Samoan early childhood centre in New Zealand, the A'oga Fa'a Samoa, in Auckland in the 1980s. RNZ Photo / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
One of the Auckland Samoan community’s biggest advocates for maintaining the Samoan language and culture in New Zealand has died.
Jan Taouma, co-founder of the country’s first Pacific Island language early childhood centre, is being remembered for her dedication and work in the ECE sector thatspanned over 40 years.
She died in Auckland over the weekend, surrounded by her seven children. She was 76.
Known affectionately as “Mama Jan,” Taouma helped to establish the Aoga Fa’a Samoa early childcare centre in Auckland in the early 1980s, after recognising the importance of keeping the language alive among New Zealand-born Samoans.
Jan Taouma pictured at the Aoga Fa'a Samoa in Ponsonby in August, 2000. Photo / Sav Schulman
The full-immersion Samoan centre meant gagana (language) Samoa was the only language used and heard at the preschool; with the aim of fluency and understanding among pupils.
Taouma, of Palagi/Pākehā descent, married well-respected Samoan community leader and dentist Dr Papali’i Pita Taouma, and always wanted her children to stay connected to their Samoan roots, daughter Lisa Taouma said.
“Mum was a very passionate and determined woman, as well as having the biggest and most generous heart.
“She wasn’t afraid to stand up for the rights of early childhood education and particularly reo and gagana learning in Aotearoa.”
Jan Taouma co-founded the Aoga Fa'a Samoa early childhood centre in Auckland in the early 1980s. Photo / Supplied
Initially set up in Herne Bay, the preschool was later moved to Ponsonby’s Richmond Road Primary, where a Kōhanga Reo and bilingual Samoan unit were already established.
The hope was for pupils to have a smooth transition into the primary school’s Samoan bilingual unit.
It remains at the same site today; celebrating its 40th birthday last year. Taouma also received the Queen’s Service Medal in 2014 for her commitment to Pacific children.
The Aoga Fa'a Samoa class at Richmond Rd Primary in 1994.
“The impact of this first Samoan early childhood centre has touched the lives of thousands; and it’s also touched the future, as the language investment in the early years is what sets them up for life,” Lisa Taouma, an accomplished writer, film and TV producer, said.
“Our wider legacy from her is to always have community, culture and connection – these were the things that defined her and I see this in all our aiga [family].”
Away from the classroom, Lisa described her as a mother to everyone who always made sure everyone was fed.
“We had a famous three-bedroom house in the 80s in Grey Lynn, with kids hanging out the windows and multiple bunk beds to house her own children, all the cousins.
A pupil’s tribute: ‘Fa’afetai, Jan’
“And like many [Pacific] Island families at that time, our house was the gateway point for many Samoans arriving in Aotearoa. I have no idea how she managed all this, thinking back.”
Among the many children taught by Mama Jan is Aucklander Datia Wilson-Matagi, who attended the aoga (school) in the early 1990s.
Datia Wilson-Matagi (front) pictured in the early 1990s at a celebration with her school, the Aoga Fa'a Samoa from Ponsonby. Photo / Niusulu Hellesoe
“My brother and I are New Zealand-born Samoan. He was 3 years old and I was 18 months when we started to attend Jan’s Aoga Fa’a Samoa preschool.
“As our mother could not speak Samoan, she made it a priority and was determined that her children would have what she didn’t.
“We had eight hours of Samoan total immersion during the day of cultural fa’asamoa and we became grounded in our Samoan identity through the language.”
In later years, she and her brother moved to Samoa to live with their grandmother on the big island of Savai’i. They went from understanding Samoan to becoming fluent speakers within three months, she said.
“It was because of the foundation Jan had created and what we learnt at Aoga Fa’a Samoa that enabled us to adjust more easily to village life, as all the schooling was in Samoan.
“As adults, we now have the ability to adjust and immerse in and out of our life in New Zealand and our village life in Savaii,” Wilson-Matagi said.
“Jan has been a pillar and has had a huge influence in education within the Samoan community.
“We are proud and will forever be grateful for the influence Jan and the Aoga Fa’a Samoa has had in our lives and cultural identity. Fa’afetai, Jan - thank you.”
A funeral service will be held for Jan Taouma at the Pacific Island Presbyterian Church in Newton tomorrow.
Those attending are asked to wear bright colours and flowers in the hair, in keeping with what she wanted to be known as her final celebration.
Vaimoana Mase is the Pasifika editor for the Herald’s Talanoa section, sharing stories from the Pacific community. She won junior reporter of the year at the then Qantas Media Awards in 2010 and won the best opinion writing award at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards.
