For Sosaia Havea, an opportunity to volunteer in the country he left as a child was simply too exciting to pass up. Sosaia’s return to Tonga has been filled with joy, emotion, and learning.
“We love the food,” says Sosaia Havea with a laugh, speaking on assignment in Tonga, “but we don’t like the exercising!”
The Aucklander, who usually works as a warehouse logistics coordinator but spends his free time either at church or volunteering as a rugby league coach, knows a thing or two about Tongan culture. Proudly Tongan himself, his family moved to Aotearoa New Zealand while he was still young, and he spent his childhood and teenage years here.
Volunteering always came naturally to this community minded husband and father. “And that’s why when I saw the opportunity with VSA, I had no choice but to take it. With everything in life, you’ve got to have a crack at it and just see what the outcome is!”
Sosaia has been put to great use in his homeland, using his coaching expertise as the Sports Development Officer for the National Rugby League Tonga (NRL). It’s an Australian parent organisation, but due to the high number of players who enter the game coming from Pacific countries, the NRL has established programmes across Polynesia to support better health and wellbeing outcomes for all through the sport.
Those outcomes, closely linked to the goals of Tonga’s Ministry for Education and Ministry of Health, include empowering more girls, women, and people of varying abilities to play sport, reducing incidences of violence against women through community engagement and education, and encouraging school-age children to get out and exercise – which, in turn, supports better health, along with improved focus in the classroom.
Sosaia explains he’s been busy working on two programmes – Mai e Nima, which concentrates primarily on the health and wellbeing outcomes, and Voice Against Violence, which aims to helps young Tongans process anger and reduce violence, particularly gender-based violence.
For Sosaia, it’s been a particular thrill introducing girls to the sport he loves. “Previously, they weren’t allowed to play rugby league at school.”
He says sport is a great bridge when building relationships and trust between him, school management and his students. And he’s especially proud that his NRL team has been able to dismantle the barriers to having girls play in Tonga’s secondary school rugby league competition. For the very first time, girls were welcomed onto the field in March of this year. “It was a big challenge and a lot of hard work, but we finally got the green light to go ahead,” says Sosaia. “I tell you, the girls are having fun. And they’re loud!”
Sosaia, who temporarily left his wife and children back home in Aotearoa New Zealand to commit to the role in Tonga, says it will be a big adjustment returning to Auckland at the end of his assignment. But he’s so grateful for the time he’s had, and the learnings he’s enjoyed.
“Coming back to Tonga has showed me my true identity,” he says. “My true colours are Tongan. I want to say a big thank you to VSA for giving me this opportunity. Hopefully, after my time here in Tonga, I will leave my knowledge behind for somebody to continue on.”
First published in Vista June 2023