Puni Raea

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Puni Raea is a Samoan tulafale or orator from the village of Samatau, in Upolu, Samoa.

He lived in Porirua, Wellington, New Zealand for many years. From the years 1980 to 1987, he worked as an advisory officer for the Samoan Advisory Council of Wellington. At the same time, from 1983 to 1988, he was the inaugural chairman of the National Samoan Advisory Council of New Zealand. Puni was a brilliant orator. He was highly experienced and unafraid. He also had a good command of the English language. Puni was also a good leader who had foresight and cared greatly for the language and culture of Samoa.

With other strong Samoan leaders from Auckland and Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, Puni lobbied the New Zealand government under Robert Muldoon as its Prime Minister to nominate a cabinet member to be the Minister of Pacific islands Affairs. At that stage, the Department of Maori and Islands Affairs was already refocusing its attention on Maori matters, thereby leaving Pacific issues unattended to. Puni worked with other Samoan chiefs such as Mapusua F Lima, Galumalemana Alfred Hunkin, Donald Kerslake, Levaula Kamu, Tuioti lani Tupu etc. The national Samoan Council was also responsible in pushing for the Samoan language to be included in the school curriculum in New Zealand schools.