A Samoan leader, Teleiai Edwin Puni, has called for the the establishment of a Pacific Cultural Center in Auckland City.

According to Tagata Pasifika, a location has been selected in South Auckland, not far from the international airport in Mangere and that a petition is already going around to gather support from the Pacific community in Auckland.

With the intent of creating more job opportunities and a boost in the economy, Teleiai referred to the ‘Polynesian Cultural Center’ in Hawaii as an example of one of the biggest employers on the North Shore of Oahu.

“It has 1,200 employees including 750 students and 200 community members working part-time. More than 40 million people have visited the Centre. That represents hundreds of billions of dollars in economic benefit,” he said. 

"Pacific Cultural Centre will evoke community pride, become a focal point for tourism, create jobs and make an enormous financial contribution to the economy."

Auckland has the largest Pacific population of any city in the world, which adds up to around 300,000.