A Pasifika community leader from Otago in New Zealand's far south says the needs of Pasifika in the South Island are often ignored.
Photo: RNZ / Daniela Maoate-Cox
Marie Laufiso said for years, she along with members of the Dunedin Pasifika community, have been telling officials at the Ministry of Pacific Peoples, that the South Island does not stop at Christchurch.
Ms Laufiso, who was elected to the Dunedin City Council last month, said her community needs more funds to make up for its isolation and Pasifika people who choose to live outside Auckland should not be penalised.
"The needs maybe different in the South but they are just as great as those in Auckland, and we get quite frustrated with the lack of access that we have to basic information or you know the participation isn't always great because we don't have the resources or the access," she said.
