Fa’anānā Efeso Collins leaves a legacy of family, faith and fighting for South Auckland

The Pacific community is reeling after the sudden death of politician Fa’anānā Efeso Collins.

The Greens MP, aged 49, collapsed and died at a charity fundraiser in Auckland’s Britomart on Wednesday morning.

“We’ve lost a chief," says Auckland councillor Alf Filipaina. “We’ve lost an orator, and we’ve lost somebody who was always there for the community.”

Fa’anānā, known as "Fes" to loved ones, is survived by his wife Fia and daughters Kaperiela and Asalemo. Filipaina says he mentioned them at every opportunity.

“When he spoke at council meetings, he was always saying ‘the job that I’m doing here is to make a better future for my children, for my family’, it was all about love.”

“I am still trying to process it”, says PMN Samoa producer Seuili Tone Peseta.

“His life impacted a lot of Samoans in his service, his tautua. Everywhere around, all Samoans knew him.”

Family and education

Fa’anānā was born and raised in Ōtara. His father Tauil'iili Sio Collins was a Pentecostal pastor and taxi driver, and his mother Lotomau was a factory worker and cleaner. He has Samoan and Tokelauan heritage, and his chief title is from the villages of Satufia and Satupaitea in Savai’i.

The youngest child of six, Fa’anānā attended East Tamaki Primary School and Ferguson Intermediate. A teacher said he was “too bright” to attend high school in Ōtara, so was enroled as an out-of-zone student into Auckland Grammar. But after two weeks he decided to switch to Tangaroa College. He later wrote about "brown flight" in his master's dissertation, questioning the belief that people of colour needed to move away from their communities to succeed.

Fa'anānā Efeso Collins during his mayoral campaign in 2022. Photo/File

His leadership became evident during his time at university, becoming the first Pacific person to be elected as the president of the university's students’ association in 1999.

Fa’anānā worked at the university for 15 years, contributing to four published works and founding a leadership and mentoring programme for senior high school students, Dream Fono.

University of Auckland Pro Vice Chancellor Pacific Professor Jemaima Tiatia-Siau remembers meeting Fa’anānā when they were just 18 year old students, in what became a lifelong friendship.

“He always made time to come onto campus for our students. Our thoughts go out to his family and he will be dearly missed.

“His legacy remains with us, we will make him proud.”

Associate Dean Pacific of the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences Administration, Sir Collin Tukuitonga says Fa’anānā was a rare person who was taken too soon.

“A number of us were hopeful he would also have an impact at Parliament. It feels like a sudden stop in someone who has already had a big impact. No doubt his legacy will live on in many of the things he had supported.”

A life of service

Fa’anānā dedicated his life to his community, entering local politics as chair of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local board in 2013, then elected to the Auckland Council’s Manukau ward three years later.

Filipaina remembers his dedication to his family, his eloquent speeches, and the passion that underlined his work.

“His heart was always community and his family. He didn't give a stuff about pointing out things and fighting for our community, and it wasn't only the Pacific community he fought for, he fought for the whole community ... he always spoke his mind.”

Fa’anānā used his time at council to criticise how Pacific people were portrayed on TV series Police Ten 7, calling it "low level, chewing gum tv that feeds on racial stereotypes". He urged Pacific communities to receive Covid-19 vaccinations, spoke about climate change and environmental issues and was a strong advocate for free and accessible public transport.

Fa’anāna finished at the council in 2022 to run for Auckland mayor, coming runner up to Wayne Brown. He then joined the Green Party and was elected to parliament in October 2023.

In his maiden speech just last week in the House, Fa’anānā spoke of his dreams for the next term.

“It's hard to be poor, it's expensive to be poor, and moreover public discourse is making it socially unacceptable to be poor - whether it's bashing on beneficiaries, dragging our feet towards a living wage, throwing shade on school breakfast programs or restricting people's ability to collectively bargain for fairer working conditions, we must do better to lift aspirations and the lived realities of all our people.”

Speaking to Faama Viliamu on PMN Niue, the day before his death, the new MP spoke about his support to repeal of the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982, which would reinstate citizenship for Samoans born during New Zealand's administration of the country.

“That’s one of the racist pieces of legislation that should have been repealed as part of the apology, to at least the Samoan people who were affected by the Dawn Raids.

“It’s one thing to say sorry, it’s another thing to have actions that show that you’re sorry.”

Filipaina says it is sad he’ll never get to see if his dreams are realised.

“As a community, as a people, we will never see the impact that he would have had in Parliament."

The words of Fa'anānā's maiden speech now echo as a lasting tribute.

"Love is an act of courage, not fear. Love is a commitment to others.

"No matter where the oppressed are found, the act of love is a commitment to their cause, the cause of liberation.

"We are tangata tiriti and we have nothing to fear."