A Manurewa local in New Zealand was the only Samoan elected in Manurewa council elections last weekend when Aucklanders went to the polls to elect their new city council.

Fale Andrew Lesā – who hails from the Samoan villages of Sa'anapu, Sapapalii, Salesatele Falealili, Apia, Salelesi and Fagaloa – outperformed 21 other candidates including a former deputy mayor and two incumbents.  

He secured 4,634 votes and will now sit on the Manurewa Local Board which is part of the Auckland City Council.

In an election campaign speech posted on his Facebook page early last month, Fale said Manurewa is a global hub of talent and creativity and he is keen to get on the Local Board as he believes the time is right. 

“The time for an independent local board has arrived and that time is now. We are an international city, we know that, we are also a young city,” Fale said in his speech.

“We are diverse but what will make a difference is an independent voice on the local board table, managing your rates, ensuring essential council services, backing local businesses and putting your safety as a resident first.”

Fale's priorities for the term on the council are local safety, improving council services, and investing in the future and he credited God, his family and friends as well as his church the EFKS Weymouth for his election victory. 

In an impassioned post on his personal Facebook page on Sunday, Fale said the elders in the community always looked out for him and now it was time to give back.

“I spoke at church this morning [Sunday] thanking everyone for supporting our #LoveManurewa campaign and electing the only Samoan in Manurewa,” his Facebook post reads. 

“Growing up, the elders would always look out for me. Now it's my turn to look after them.”

Fale briefly met Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa in June this year during her official visit to New Zealand. 

Fale is no stranger to holding public positions in New Zealand, at 19-years-of-age he was elected to the Manukau City Council in 2009 and also spent a decade as the Vice Chair of Manurewa High School where he piloted the trades academy scheme.

At 30 he was a member of the Auckland Conservation Board and the Child and Youth Mortality Review Committee.

As a former city councillor for Manukau, he was also an international adviser for China’s Belt and Road Initiative and a fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (C.S.I.S.) in Washington D.C. Fale also led a nationwide review for the Ministry of Health and was a senior advisor to Aotearoa’s Ministry of Children. 

Samoans are the largest ethnic group in Manurewa with Samoan the second most spoken language after English. Three other Samoans were also contesting the council election but were not successful.