At 22 years old, Zakariah “Zak” Lauititi Tulua is standing for the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board (Ōtara Subdivision) in New Zealand, making him the youngest Pasifika candidate in the race and one of only a few Samoans contesting the seat.

Tulua, whose family hails from Samata, Malie, Nofoalii, Moataa, Siutu and Salailua, said his Samoan heritage has been central to shaping his values and outlook on leadership.

“My Samoan upbringing taught me so much. It taught me that true leadership isn’t about titles. It’s more about service. Like, growing up, there was that Samoan phrase, ‘O le ala i le pule o le tautua’ — the pathway to leadership is through service. That’s why I’m so committed to our community. I just want to make sure that the Ōtara Papatoetoe decisions reflect the people who call it home, not the people that don’t live here and couldn’t really care less about what we go through.”

Currently completing his final semester at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) with a bachelor’s degree in event management, Tulua said his candidacy came after encouragement from community advocate Swannie Nelson.

“The way I got into this blessed opportunity was through one of my good friends, her name is Swannie Nelson. She saw my work ethic, and she just really thought that I would be perfect for the Ōtara Papatoetoe Local Board.” Tulua and Nelson met through Explorers, Travellers and Leaders (ETL), a programme aimed at encouraging young Pasifika in South Auckland to travel and experience the world. Tulua is an ambassador for ETL Travellers. Tulua has travelled to Turkey and Korea through the programme.

If elected, Tulua would be the youngest ever to serve on the board.

“I really want to represent the next generation for the Ōtara Papatoetoe. It’s a lot of pressure, definitely, because it is like me setting the tone. After all, in the case that I do get in, I will be the youngest ever to get elected to a local board. And so there will be a lot of eyes on me, a lot of weight on my shoulders. I’d have to set the example for the other youngins that  want to come into this space… but I never really pictured myself in this position. So it is quite overwhelming, in a way.”

Faith, he said, has also guided him into the campaign.

“Giving it all to God. If this is for me, God, please prepare me. If it’s not for me, also prepare me for what’s to come and what’s next. I have been attending a lot more church events. In terms of physically, I have been practising filtering out comments that won’t really impact me progressing forward. Just leaving the bad comments away. Whoever’s trying to put me down, just focus on me, focus on my goal."

With voting papers due in September and finalised voting confirmed in October, Tulua said his campaign will focus on connecting with the Pacific people in New Zealand. 

“My goals, ultimately, is just to ensure that everyone, more specifically the Pacific people of the Aotearoa Papatoetoe community… Ensuring that not only are their voices heard, but they understand the importance of their voices. I feel like, growing up, we’ve been told that our voices don’t matter or that we don’t deserve these positions. I want to let them know that their decisions do matter and that they can have a massive impact, not only in Aotearoa but in the world.”

Tulua's campaigning strategy is to get people's attention through social media platforms. 

"I feel like that's where a lot of people are nowadays. And who's going to want to read an article about how to vote? I want to do a step-by-step video on how to vote so our people can vote because their votes matter."