We teach the following languages:

• Samoan
• Tongan
• Cook Islands Māori
• Vagahau Niue
• Te Gagana Tokelau
• Fijian
• Rotuman
• Te Gana Tuvalu

We are in the process of developing courses in Tuvaluan and Kiribatian and are aiming to have these running by 2023.

All our courses (except the Advanced Samoan Fa’amatai and the Samoan Oratory courses) are taught in English.

They’re free!

No, unfortunately our funding is only for NZ citizens and holders of NZ residency permits.

We are a tertiary provider, and so our courses are designed for adults aged 16 and above.

We can also accept students between 13 - 15 years old, if they attend WITH their parent or caregiver.

Yes, because our lessons are online it’s best that you use a PC or laptop. You can join on a smart phone, but you will not be easily able to see the lesson materials, or other class members.

It’s preferable that you have a stable WiFi connection. Using 3G, 4G, or even 5G can often become unstable and being kicked in and out of your class can be distracting to other learners.

They’re short courses – only 30 hours in total.

20 hours learning with your tutor, and 10 hours doing your own practice and revision.

You will attend ONE 2-hour class with your tutor per week, for 10 weeks.

We run 3 terms per year.

All courses run from 6pm – 8pm.

It depends. You’ll need to look at the timetable for your specific course as some of them are on Mondays and others are on Wednesdays.

No - this course is delivered in person at the Centre for Pacific Languages office in Manukau.

No, these are not qualifications, they are NZQA Approved Training Schemes. At 30 hours, they’re too small for a qualification, but if you attend at least 80% of your classes, you’ll be eligible to receive a completion certificate. You must attend your last lesson and do the presentation as part of your 80% attendance.

No. NZQA do not record the credits from Training Schemes.

Yes, we totally understand that for many of our students, a ‘repeat’ of the course may be beneficial and help increase confidence.

No, as an adult learning provider, we ask that you respect our learning environment. Children can be distracting for tutors and other learners. Please do your very best to find yourself a quiet room so you can fully concentrate on your lesson. (e.g. the kitchen table with the family making dinner or the lounge with the TV on are not appropriate learning spaces).

We ask that you treat your time in the online class the same way you would if you were physically in a classroom.

As Pacific people, there is a vā that we should be mindful about, with others in the room (especially older people). So it would be inappropriate to join the online class while lying down on your bed, or walking around your home while holding your phone.