Grey Lynn’s last kava club | STILL HERE S2 | Episode 4

“The strength of the Tongan culture is in the kava.” Subscribe to Re: bit.ly/subscribe-re
For 45 years, one of Grey Lynn’s last remaining Tongan families has proudly hosted their fofo’anga faikava kalapu (kava club) from their home. Each week the Koloamatangi family welcomes generations of Tongan men to drink kava, sing songs and share history with each other.
In 1978 this fofo’anga was the first faikava club established outside of Tonga, the same year the United Church of Tonga was opened up the road - the first Tongan church established in Aotearoa New Zealand.
STILL HERE is a love letter to our inner-city Auckland Pasifika community. Since the 1950s, the Pasifika community has cultivated a unique Central Auckland identity that many of the community’s youth proudly embrace; both as an act of resistance from ongoing gentrification and as an unapologetic reminder that they and their families are Still Here.
Watch the full series here: • Still Here Season 2
Made with the support of NZ On Air.
Re: makes videos, articles and podcasts about the things that matter to young people in Aotearoa.
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[@fishonnikomika6510]

Great to see the koloamatangi's are still there with many other OG families. GLC ❤️

[@foiseku2166]

'A form of social theater' I love that description

[@dirtydoggey]

hahaha bolosekis hahaha shot brother

[@adambamf9365]

one time i was walking past and they invited me in for kava ended up leaving at 5 am we sat around shareing storys and jokes

[@paul5434]

It's so wonderful to hear that the younger generation of Tongan people. Embracing themselves and there wonderful warrior culture.... Aroha❤️ 🙏

[@deeteewritesthings2024]

ʻOfa atu kamoutolu ❤❤❤ Mālō siʻi fatongia kii hotau kāinga Tonga nofoʻi Niu Sila.

[@xxsummer619]

beautiful

[@paeatasi3981]

Chur my bro ❤️💛💚

[@user-sy9fs3fs5q]

Where and how do I watch this documentary

[@stanreid3413]

Kava clubs preserve the culture. Ofas

[@mochapella]

island, coconut diet will help save us all

[@danielmafileo4078]

🇹🇴🇹🇴🇹🇴

[@Skybar23]

what are the demographics of Grey Lynn these days? I always thought the area had a big Tongan community there or has the gentrification and development of the high rise units priced many pasifika families out?. I was last in Auckland in the early 2000s

[@central_09]

still a strong Samoan presence in the likes of Grey Lynn, Ponsonby etc but yes gentrification has played a huge role in the decrease of numbers.

[@DefKiller90]

Probably same population as Hamilton pacific population

[@observedot7490]

What even is gentrification in this context

[@paul5434]

Hi guys 🖐️ I have had some wonderful Tongan people keeping an eye on me in the last few years... I've had a lot of people who want to disappear me.. Some extremely BIG Tongan and Samoans have foiled some bad people's plans.. I'm Maori 🚼 Jeebus... I love and thank you Guys so much ATUA Bless You all🙏😁👍

[@dingo_463]

Kava abuse

[@f.t15]

Samoans drink Kava more traditionally and with more respect and meaning. This documentary shows it in a way where its like a club to get drunk and happy with Kava and sing your favourite songs

[@taliasete6086]

Samoans only use Kava in ceremonies. Tongans and Fijians do the same (Tonga having the most respected, well known royal kava ceremonies in the Pacific). The cultures where kava hails from Tonga and Fiji have also incorporated kava drinking in a social setting. Which is also ancient, warriors gathering after battle to drink kava was very much a normal in Tongan and Fijian culture. It doesn't mean that it is respected less than in Samoan culture.

[@user-eo7gl4yq2u]

You don't get drunk on kava..drowsy yes, but not intoxicating

[@AK-lw1nz]

Maybe you should get educated on how we do things as Tongans, especially since you’re probably not of Tongan Descent - before you spew bs🤣

[@f.t15]

@@AK-lw1nz I've seen enough Tongan Kava clubs to know their is no tradition or meaning to it. Just like the one in Glen innes you probably don't know of

[@deeteewritesthings2024]

​@@f.t15so you generalised an entire culture based it on videos you watched? Have you ever been to a proper Kalapu Fōfō'anga? Have you seen the kava in Tongan ceremonials? It's superfluous to generalise an entire culture based on videos