Helena Fuluifaga Chan Foung

Helena was raised within the Samoan culture but discovered her Tokelauan culture, language and dance at Te Namo Te Lumanaki, the Tokelauan cultural association at Victoria University.

She shares a deep love and connection with her family, of the ocean, and coming through the Surf Life Saving Club at Te Henga Bethells Beach. She credits the ocean has been one of the greatest classrooms. She and her family have been surfing as life-savers since she was a young girl. Her love for her culture is tinged with sadness as she realises the precarious situation Tokelau faces.

“Tokelau is on the frontlines of climate change. There are no huge mountains or volcanoes, like in Samoa or in Hawaii. There’s nowhere to go.”

Helena’s activism is motivated by her desire to protect her ancestral homeland. She volunteers with Pacific Climate Warriors, a group which prioritises the voices and outcomes of Pacific people and has spoken as their representative at the first School Strike for Climate march on March 15, 2019 in Wellington.

Helena hopes that groups will be able to take Pacific voices upfront in this climate fight.

“We really do need all hands on deck to help our world.”