A young New Zealand-born Tongan woman has become the first Pasifika student to graduate from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Sport, Health and Physical Education conjoint degree.
Meleana Payn, the youngest of five children and only daughter of Siliva and Joyce Payn, traces her Tongan roots to Mailetaha, Tongatapu, and Neiafu, Vavaʻu.
Her graduation carries particular significance for her family, whose journey in New Zealand began when her maternal grandfather, Kapeliele Cocker, migrated from Tonga in the late 1960s seeking greater opportunities for his family.
“Everything I’ve been able to achieve is because of the sacrifices and opportunities he helped create for our family,” Payn said.
Education was strongly encouraged in her household, with Payn saying tertiary study was regarded as an expectation rather than simply an option.
She said her parents did not have the same educational opportunities while growing up in Tonga, making her achievement part of a family aspiration extending across generations.
Payn also credited Māori and Pacific support programmes at the university, including Tuākana Business and Commerce ‘o Pasifika and Pasifika Success within Sport, Health and Physical Education, for helping her succeed.
She said being surrounded by Pacific people provided strength and confidence and connected her with mentors who became role models and part of her university whānau.
Payn said that while she was honoured to be among the first Pasifika graduates completing the conjoint pathway, the greater significance was helping other Māori and Pacific students see themselves succeeding in higher education.
“What matters is creating pathways where our people can see themselves succeeding and feel confident enough to take up space in those places themselves,” she said.
Her academic journey is continuing, with Payn now studying a Master of Business in Sport Leadership and Management at Auckland University of Technology.
Influenced by her father’s involvement in rugby in Tonga and New Zealand, her research interests centre on increasing opportunities for Pacific people in sport leadership and management.
Alongside her postgraduate studies, Payn is Tuākana Business Head Tutor Pacific, a role through which she hopes to provide other Māori and Pacific students with the support she received during her own studies.
For Payn, the graduation belongs not only to her but to the family and community that supported her.
“I owe it all to my village,” she said. “This is a huge win for all of us. But I also know the job’s not finished.”
