. Captions by Antony Vlug. Edited by Faith Hamblyn. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016. RELAXED MUSIC Sunnyvale was once a peaceful spot full of orchards and vineyards west of Auckland City. BIRDS CHIRP Now it's a busy suburb, home to about 4500 people,... and it's growing by the year. 35% of the population was born overseas ` many in Asia. I was born in Santiago, Chile. My heritage is Spanish from my dad's side and Italian from my mum's side. I grew up in a Latin culture, which is loud, warm; it's all about family. Sunnyvale is the place that I have chosen to make my home. Let's hear from some of our locals who make this community so diverse. In this episode of Neighbourhood, we will find out what binds the Filipino community together. These were fun games during my childhood days, so I thought that I might as well introduce these games to them so that they can have a connection to where they come from. A Sunnyvale local shares something precious with the people who have helped her in life. So, you can see that everyone every pearl has its own character. If I'm moved to give one to someone who has had an impact on me, uh, I look for one that fits them. A woman from Peru cooks up a dish that reminds her of home. Uh, in NZ, I meet friends ` many Latino friends and Peruvians too ` and they like Peruvian food. And I say to them, 'Tonight I'm cooking aji de gallina, so come over,' and they say, 'Yes, yes, yes.' (LAUGHS) So I'm looking forward to see them. And we meet a Samoan woman who has dedicated herself to supporting families here. I'm very passionate in building families, I'm very passionate in investing in families, and so this is more like for me, um, investing on how these kids can grow up in a healthy household. I'm Julia Garcia, and this is my neighbourhood. TINKLY MUSIC SLOW ROCK MUSIC TRAIN RAILS CLACK My partner and I wanted to travel the world. We started with Australia because my brother was there. But after three months, we came to NZ just to see what it was like, and then we decided that this was the place for us. SLOW ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES I love how safe and green it is here,... but most of all, the sense of community and the beautiful families. That's something that really worth nurturing. INTROSPECTIVE MUSIC I found a lump on my right breast and, um, went through the system, the process. By February the following year, they removed the lump, but I had to go through chemo and radiation and lost my hair, and, you know, so it was... I thought, 'That could've been worse.' I was still grateful that I was around my kids, and, you know, life goes on. I've now learnt that tragic things that comes our way will either makes us a better person or a bitter person, and I rather go the 'E' than the 'I'. (CHUCKLES) My name is Loga Crichton; that's my full name, and I was born in Samoa. I started writing poem on my iPad. Yeah, and just one leads to another. It's definitely, um... found it very therapeutic. READS: 'Whatever the circumstances, be very clear and have no fear. 'There's support and help out there if only you are willing to share. Whatever your circumstances, 'you may have several chances to find a positive outcome in order to bring blessings to some.' In 2011, they said that I've got 87% of the cancer coming back. So I went for, um, removing my... both my breasts as well as the ovaries. INTROSPECTIVE MUSIC Yeah, came back home on Friday, and my darling husband passed away next to me on Saturday morning. So didn't even get a chance to show him my scars. But... Yeah, yeah. Some days are better than others even now with the nerve pain. For me, my motto now is that I live each day as if it's my last day on this earth, doing what I can, when I can, cos only God can do what I can't. And` and that's exactly every day for me. I don't want to have a missed opportunity. I don't think it's a day go by that I don't stop and look at these photos when I walk past this... this hall,... and` and I think it's catching those moments. I know exactly where all these photos were taken. LAID-BACK MUSIC The Fono is a health and social services,... where we have the clinics, GP services, and, um, we also help` have community services, which is health promotion and social services. I'm a social worker. I think I... love my job because... I can definitely... The little that I do can make a difference to some families, um... Yeah, I just got your text. I hope you're OK. I will check in later on, anyway, see how you're feeling. Um, text me if you need me to do anything for you and your babies... 'This is not just a job for me. I'm very passionate in building families,' and so this is more like for me, um, investing on how these kids can grow up in a healthy, um, household without violence, without poverty and, you know... So we support families into different services so that they get the support, um, around their babies, yeah. GENTLE UPBEAT MUSIC At the end of the day, it's supporting those families and letting them know that things can go really bad,... but if they're willing and have the potential to make some changes, they can come out of it. I remember that very first visit. It was a Thursday night when I came around your house ` just around the corner here ` yeah. And I saw what a beautiful family you have, worth investing in, and, look, you guys are my investment. Uh, it's a total transformation. I mean, you really did come into our life at such a desperate time, um, such a dark time, you know. We were in a very dark place, and you were, sort of, like our, um... or my guardian angel. I would say you were, um, just, you know, you were that light, and you spoke life into our family. We're so appreciative of that, because we are where we are now because someone actually cared. The only thing I... aspect of my work that I'm pride` proud of is seeing families moving forward, seeing families where you know where they came from and you know them now; you know them five years ago were down here, and seeing them, um, you know, graduated from study, becoming whatever, you know. Um, that's the most rewarding feeling ever. VIBRANT MUSIC Without a doubt, the most difficult thing about moving to NZ was missing my family. When we first got here, I was homesick all the time. MUSIC CONTINUES Since I was a little girl, I always loved to dance ` and carried on dancing here as a way to deal with my loneliness. There is something about those South American rhythms that just make me feel at home. We all have to find our own ways to stay connected to the culture we left behind. RELAXED MUSIC I come from a big family. I have seven siblings, and, uh, I'm in the middle. Simple life, ordinary life, but, uh, enjoyable. Yeah, I` I` I love my childhood way back in the Philippines. During those times, you know, people don't have television; we stayed out in the streets. And in the streets, uh, I used to play marble, and then, uh, bato-lata ` you know, the bato is the rock, and the lata is the can. CAN CLINKS (CHEERS) Way back in the Philippines, I worked as a lawyer. I was also working as a certified public accountant. I was connected with, uh, Deloitte as a director, then, in Cebu City. Here in NZ, uh, I worked, uh, for nine years in the Ministry of Justice in the Auckland High Court. And I decided,... uh, to resign and become a lawyer here. For about a year, I will be studying, uh, so that hopefully I can become a licenced lawyer here, and I can be of better service to Filipinos as well as, uh, Kiwis. RELAXED MUSIC Most Filipinos come to NZ because, uh, for a better life and more safe here than back home. MUSIC CONTINUES I love this picture. This is, uh, my mum. And this is me. I think I'm 1 year` 1 year old here. (CHUCKLES) And I miss my mum. She... She died many years ago. RELAXED MUSIC CONTINUES My younger sisters were my barkada ` my friends. And, uh, my older sister and my older... older brothers ` oh, I was afraid of them. (LAUGHS) So I was the boss of the younger sisters. (CHUCKLES) RELAXED MUSIC CONTINUES Family being together ` you know, just being together, eating together, talking together, travelling together ` those are things that I cherish and I still long for. MUSIC CONTINUES The Filipino community is very important to me because, uh, at the start when I came here, it helped me; uh, I met a lot of Filipinos. Especially, I'd like to mention specially Agnes Granada, who works with Migrant Action Trust. She helped me through the difficult times. And since then, I've been involved, because there are a lot of things that I can really do to help Filipinos here in NZ. ELECTRONIC MUSIC Filipinos are, well, migrants in general. We are so tied up with work and our families that we don't have connections to where we come from, so that's why I started Lingaw Duwa, which means lingaw ` fun; duwa ` game, so fun games. So, actually, these were fun games during my childhood days, and I thought that the younger generation ` my grandchildren ` they don't know how to play those games, so I thought that I might as well introduce this games to them so that they can have a connection to where they come from. ELECTRONIC MUSIC CONTINUES At the start of the games, we will have a sort of a... a parade ` a parade of colours, but the parade of tribes, we call it tribes. The teams are called tribus. Now the people of Dabarkadz. TEAM: Dabarkadz! LAUGHTER And now Barangay Putyukan. Barangay Putyukan! LAUGHTER While the primary purpose of Lingaw Duwa is to promote the Filipino culture and heritage in NZ,... it is important that we do this in the spirit of fun,... goodwill and bayanihan. PLAYERS YELL INDISTINCTLY The game, uh, behind you is, uh, called Patintero or Tubig-tubig in, uh, Visayan word. Wherein, uh, there's a line, set of lines, and, uh, each line has a guard. And, uh, the other team would want to get inside, uh, each line. And, uh, each time that they get inside the block, that's a score. ALL EXCLAIM, CHEER I've been here for five years, and, so in my childhood, we played these games. Like, we didn't have any tablets or computers at home, so we just, like, played like this. This is like takyan, so you use your feet or your hands, and then just join with other people. That's how we waste time. (LAUGHS) For me, it's really around exposing my kids. They` They actually didn't really grow up in... in the Philippines, so they haven't had the chance to play these game back home, um, so, yeah, exposing them, and cos it's` it's a lot of fun. INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS Well, generally, uh, being a new migrant here, you're really lonely, especially if you're new and you don't have friends around, so it's, uh` the community is the one which helps you. It's the net which assist you to... to find your way in a new country like NZ. I feel that` This is the third edition of, uh, Lingaw Duwa, and I believe that this is really a success. Everybody is very involved, and some are even so passionate about it, but the good thing is it's in the spirit of fellowship and comradery and understanding and honesty. That's the beautiful thing about it. GENTLE MUSIC I came close to losing both of my parents in a car accident when I was really little. I was 4, and my brother was 13. I still remember how hard it was and how fast we had to grow up. Um, it was really hard for him, because he was the oldest and had to look after me for over a year ` that was the time that my parents were at hospital. What I learned from that difficult situation is that you don't want to wait to tell your people that you love them until it's too late, and you should thank people who help you in life here and now. Malo e lelei. Toru, wha. ALL: # Malo lelei mai Tonga. # Kia orana mai Rarotonga.... # 'I've been around educators all my life. They taught passion. They're focused. they're driven.' They know what they want; they wanna educate our kids ` Maori Pasifika ` and do the best they can for them, so being around that my whole life, I... I wanted to do the same. CHILDREN CHATTER I love, uh, coming to work every day. Uh, you've gotta love what you do, and I love, uh, seeing the kids' faces and working with a good bunch of teachers. CHILDREN EXCLAIM I've been at Sunnyvale for coming on 13 years, and I started here as a beginning teacher, and then I went to other schools, and I've` I've come back here. I've been here for the last seven years. I am very passionate about who I am and where I come from, so I bring a lot of Scottish and Cook Island culture, heritage and philosophies and Te Reo Maori as well. CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC My dad was born in a small island called Rakahanga in the northern Cooks ` Cook Islands, and Mum was born in Scotland in a, um... They lived in a village called Portsoy. MUSIC CONTINUES I think it's important to know who you are and where you come from and who your whanau is, who your family is, and, uh, knowing that and knowing your place in the world ` in NZ, in the Cook Islands, in Scotland. TINKLY MUSIC So, I've got pearls here from the pearl farm in Manihiki ` harvested there. And these were given to me by my auntie Faiteru ` uh, one of Dad's sisters. MUSIC CONTINUES These were given to me, uh, for my 21st. MUSIC CONTINUES Some, uh, kids might get a traditional tivaevae, which is a, um,... blanket for your bed; some might get a pearl, uh, necklace, and I got loose... loose pearls. The pearl trade is in Manihiki, which is the island next to Rakahanga, and they harvest pearls for trade. The pearls that I were given weren't A-grade, you know ` not the ones that are sold at the shops, but it's` it acts as a token of love, connection, and my connection to back home, because I haven't been to Rakahanga. My auntie Faiteru Makira, she's recently passed away in Rakahanga, and she gave, uh, the pearls to Dad to... to give to me. Uh, she was a principal as well, uh, in Rakahanga, so my dad, her and my other uncle ` uncle Munokoatiri `` all teachers, so she was very, uh, passionate about educating her own people. When you see them like this, you can see that every one ` every pearl has its own character. If I` If I want to... If I'm moved to give one to someone who has had an impact on me,... uh, I look for one that fits them,... and I... I give them their pearl. LAUGHTER, FAINT CONVERSATION So, we've got suckers We've got chop suey, rice, and we've got the cakes and muffins. Morag has worked with me for nearly 16 years now, and we've gone through a l` little story with Morag's life along the way, and, um, we're quite a family-orientated school, and, um, Morag gave me this pearl, because she was giving them to people that had a significant input into her life, and I was lucky enough to be one of those people and received the pearl. I cried. (LAUGHS) Yeah, so it was really really special. I mean, we had gone through quite a time when Morag was, um... when her dad passed away, and our school really supported her, and so it was just lovely that we could... that I` I was given that opportunity to be somebody special to her. Uh, Charmaine's been here since I've started as a beginning teacher, and she's, uh, played an important part in` in my` in my professional life and my personal life, and it's a, uh, way of me showing that I appreciate Charmaine and everything she's done for me throughout the years, and it` it will bond us; That'll be our connection that we have. FAINT CONVERSATION Although I don't know many people from Chile here, but I have made some other South American friends. We don't all share the same cultural traditions, but we have enough common grounds to feel at home when we are together. Dinners are a great way to remember what's special about the places we come from. When you're homesick, food is a lot cheaper than a plane ticket. GENTLE MUSIC Colin is a person who rescue me in many ways. I was very lonely. I was very sad. But Colin was and is the support in my life. My name is Pamela Nunez. I am from Peru. We have online relationship for around three years. And one day he say to me, 'Pamela, do you like to come to NZ?' And I say without thinking,... 'Yes, of course. Why not?' When I was 8, my mum decide to, um, move to a place called San Martin. Is, um, in the jungle in Peru,... and she was coming through a very difficult time. So, um, she take, um,... my twin brothers and I and move to find another opportunity and other work, and we... pretty much work very hard there. I was pretty much with my mum all the time trying to help with my twin brothers; they were very little. And every time, every single time, when my journey finished,... I` I sit in the corner of the farm. And I saw` I love to see the horizons where the sun disappear,... and I tell myself, 'One day, I'm gonna be there. One day, I'm gonna cross these mountains. 'I'm gonna see what's going on beside there.' UPBEAT GUITAR MUSIC In NZ, I` I meet friends ` many Latino friends and Peruvians too ` and they like Peruvian food, and I say to them, 'Tonight I'm cooking, um, aji de gallina, so come over,' and they say, 'Yes, yes, yes,' so I'm looking forward to see them. (CHUCKLES) GUITAR MUSIC CONTINUES We gonna make, um, aji de gallina. The first step is to boil ` we have to boil potatoes. We have to boil, um, the chicken, and we have to boil the eggs. GUITAR MUSIC CONTINUES Aji de gallina is something from... I believe, from Spain, but also with a Peruvian touch, so it` it is boiled potatoes, rice and boiled eggs and olives. And also we have this delicious salsa, and all come together, and this, all this mixture, it really works. Now I'm gonna boil in for around, mm, 20-25 minutes, and it's ready to go. GENTLE MUSIC Going to see her home and her family, it really put into perspective the difference in how we grew up. Um,... the` the poverty that you see in the north of Peru is, yeah, something I've never experienced before. The` The best part of the whole trip was, um, seeing Colin in my world, because NZ is a first-world country, and Peru is a third-world country. It mean, it was... It mean a lot to be with my family in one table after a long time. So I managed to bring my` my mum and my brothers, my siblings from Chiclayo, my dad to Lima and meet my` with my brothers in Lima, because they work in Lima. So for me to have the whole family, even if it was one night, it was incredible. TINKLY MUSIC I'm gonna start preparing all the bits, because we have our chicken is cooked. I don't remember doing this dish with my mum, because it involved cheese, it involve milk, and because we didn't have all those things in the farm, so... but what I remember, um, is Mum was very very good in the kitchen; and whatever she does, everything was nice. In Peru, we have this, uh, lots of brands of chilli, but the principal we use a lot and pretty much in in our dishes is called aji amarillo, or yellow chilli, and because I can't bring fresh chilli from Peru to NZ, so I thought I'm gonna bring this, um, processed ` it's processed chilli, but it still works. ALL EXCLAIM, LAUGH ALL SPEAK SPANISH This year, it was amazing things happen to me. Sometimes when people say, 'Yes, the dreams come true.' I work very hard. I see so many difficulty in my life,... but I never lose the hope. My heart is... is full ` is full ` and not because the ring; it's just because someone really want something with me very seriously, and they love me the way I am. I feel really blessed. (CHUCKLES) WOMAN SPEAKS SPANISH It was interes` interesting to travel to Peru, um, because... when I arrive in Peru, it was not my place any more. Even it's the place where I b` I was born, but I felt ex` uh, like, uh, like I don't belong in this place any more. So after one month travel in South America, I thought, 'OK, it's time to go home,' so NZ for me is my home. GENTLE MUSIC Sunnyvale has always been a welcoming place for migrants, all the way back to the old Yugoslav families who settled here 100 years ago and kick-started our wine industry. GENTLE MUSIC CONTINUES These days with the pressure on Auckland housing market, it's good to see that there's still a place for young families and people wanting to build a new life. My hope for my neighbourhood and for NZ is that we keep building strong communities to provide warm welcomes to the new arrivals in the years to come. Captions by Antony Vlug. Edited by Faith Hamblyn. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016.