Enhancing equitable inclusion for the Pasifika diaspora in mainstream Australia, using Pasifika methodologies within higher education and community settings

• Date: 19 June 2024
• Pages: 910-925
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-11-2022-0313
• Published date: 19 June 2024
• Author: Inez Fainga'a-Manu Sione,Andrew Harvey,Jaimee Stuart,Matt Statham,Naomi Pelite,Faamanuia Aloalii,Ruta Aloalii

Enhancing equitable inclusion for

the Pasifika diaspora in

mainstream Australia, using

Pasifika methodologies within

higher education and

community settings

Inez Fainga’a-Manu Sione

Village Connect Ltd, Logan, Australia and

Pathways in Place, School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University,

Logan Campus, Logan, Australia

Andrew Harvey

Pathways in Place, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

Jaimee Stuart

United Nations University Institute in Macau, Macau, China

Matt Statham

Brisbane South PHN, Upper Mount Gravatt, Australia, and

Naomi Pelite, Faamanuia Aloalii and Ruta Aloalii

Village Connect Ltd, Logan, Australia

Abstract

Purpose –This paper identifies the value of Indigenous processes in developing a reciprocal working

relationship between a Pasifika grass roots community organisation, Pasifika Church and an Australian

university. The focus is on the capacity of Indigenous methodologies to authentically attain equity, diversity

and inclusion, during the development of stakeholder partnerships, particularly when there are power and

resource imbalances between parties.

Design/methodology/approach –This paper is about the process of how Pasifika methodologies, namely

talanoa, e-talanoa and teu le va, were used to create positive reciprocal relationships in a culturally grounded

manner. The outcome was an agreement of the three stakeholders, the Pasifika Church, the Pasifika

organisation and a tertiary institute to work together on a community educational and training project.

Findings –The agreement by all parties to adopt Indigenous methodologies from inception enabled the

process to be community-led in a culturally safe manner. Critically, these cultural processes established a

foundation of trust, expanding possibilities for shared work and projects. For migrant communities, the

advocacy and employment of cultural methodologies can empower them through negotiations to maintain

their sovereignty over their Indigenous knowledge and priorities. Similarly, it is important for universities and

mainstream organisations not only to acknowledge power imbalances and to support community-led priorities

but also to cede power around processes of negotiation and discussion.

Research limitations/implications –This is an experience of four organisations working together. It is

uncertain whether the same outcome could be attained with other organisations, personalities and cultural

groups.

EDI

43,6

910

The authors are grateful to Village Connect Ltd, Hosanna Logan City, Brisbane South PhN, Griffith

University, Adjunct Associate Professor Judith Kearney and Dr Ruth Faleolo. The research was funded

by the Paul Ramsay Foundation (grant number: 681). Any opinions, findings or conclusions expressed

in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the foundation.

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 11 November 2022

Revised 3 April 2023

5 September 2023

Accepted 2 May 2024

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 6, 2024

pp. 910-925

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-11-2022-0313

Practical implications –The same principles may be harnessed for other migrant communities, allowing

for their cultural practices to inform the ways in which stakeholders work together as opposed to the often-

dominant euro-centric practices of the West. It is a deliberate effort that privileges Indigenous ways of being,

knowing and doing.

Social implications –Migrant communities that perhaps may be subject to the more Western dominant

environment are empowered to use their cultural frameworks to create an equal ground with government,

tertiary and not-for-profit stakeholders.

Originality/value –This article is one of the first in Australia to document how talanoa, e-talanoa and teu le

va were used to develop a working partnership in a culturally grounded manner to uphold the sovereignty of

grassroots Indigenous organisations. This strengthens relationships between migrant communities and

mainstream organisations. It outlines Pasifika protocols and successful use of equitable decision-making, led

by a grassroots community organisation, a Pasifika Church, whilst liaising with a multi-campus university.

Keywords Pacific methodologies, Pacific/Pasifika community-led organisations/projects, Equity, Diversity,

Inclusion

Paper type Research paper

Australian universities have an impetus to widen participation to ensure that currently

under-represented low socio-economic minority groups can engage and become successful in

higher education (Ravulo et al., 2020), especially where there are power and resource

imbalances. This article explores how a mainstream Australian university has established a

partnership with Pasifika stakeholders to enhance the Pasifika diaspora’s equity, diversity

and inclusion in higher education. Fundamental to this was establishing a long-term

partnership through the use of Pasifika Indigenous processes that enable community-driven

solutions. This paper serves as an example of how Indigenous methodologies can be adopted

or adapted outside of the homeland contexts to serve the Indigenous diaspora to achieve

equity, diversity and inclusion in the new country context.

There is a Tongan proverb that offers Indigenous wisdom stating, Ka oku te fie ’ilo ki he

feitu ’u oku tonu ke te hu ’u kiai, pea te vakai ki he feitu’una’ate ha’u mei ai. Meaning, “If you

want to know where you are going, you need to find out where you have come from”. It is the

power of Indigenous knowledges, ways of being and doing from where the Pasifika

stakeholders have come from, that was used to navigate these new foreign lands. The process

and benefits of using Indigenous methodologies when developing a formal partnership

between a grassroots Pasifika Holistic Health Hub, a Pasifika Church and a tertiary institute

will be stated.

This article will state how Indi genous methodologies, nam ely talanoa, meaning

unconcealed storytelling (Halapua, 2000;Vaioleti, 2006), e-talanoa (Faleolo, 2023) using

online platforms to talanoa and teu le v

a(Anae, 2019), meaning to nurture and care for the

sacred and relational spaces, were used in the partnership development. These

methodologies were introduced by the Pasifika Community Research Fellow at the

inception of the co-creation process to attain equity, diversity and inclusion, as defined by

grassroots stakeholders. The use of Indigenous methodologies shifts the power imbalance to

enable the Pacific leaders to facilitate the process of co-creation, given their expertise in their

Indigenous methodologies and knowledges. There was also a recognition from the university

that the Pasifika leaders have served in their community for 17 years and hold the lived

experiences, cultural nuances and pieces of knowledge of their local, cultural and generational

context. Privileging Pasifika methodologies and place-based local knowledge of the

community from inception ensures that the sovereignty and self-determination objectives

of the Pasifika stakeholders are prioritised.

There are five sections in this article. Firstly, the background context of the stakeholders

and the challenges that led to the partnership development. Secondly, a literature review

regarding the tension between equity, diversity and inclusion from a Pasifika context. This

Equality,

Diversity and

Inclusion: An

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