A Samoan academic says the recent Rugby League Pacific Championship has highlighted how sport has become a powerful space of belonging and celebration for Pacific peoples across the region and diaspora.

University of Auckland Pacific Studies lecturer Dr Sarah McLean-Orsborn said Pacific communities have long been embraced in sport, particularly rugby union and rugby league.

“We see that across varying sports, but especially rugby union and rugby league,” she said.

Record-breaking crowds turned stadiums into seas of red and blue during the Pacific Cup, including 45,000 fans in Brisbane and nearly 40,000 at Eden Park. Millions more watched around the world, showcasing the reach of Pacific pride.

"Diaspora turned stadiums into seas of red and blue."

For many Polynesian youth, especially young men, rugby players have served as both role models and symbols of success, McLean-Orsborn said. That resonates with families who migrated to New Zealand for better opportunities.

Pacific migration has transformed Aotearoa over six decades. From 14,000 Pacific-born residents in 1961, numbers surged during the labour migration schemes of the 1960s and ’70s. Today, more than 442,000 people identify as Pacific, nearly nine per cent of the population.

“We know that for many, it started on factory floors – such as the Onehunga Wool Mills or the Westfield Freezing Works,” she said. “This physically arduous labour saw many push their children and grandchildren towards higher education… recreational activities and hobbies were not actively encouraged… because many of these occupational spaces had not previously had Pacific representation in them.”

She said the strong support for national teams reflects the aspirations of earlier migrant generations.

“Which is why we are seeing families supporting their young ones to pursue professional sporting careers – because we see the value and the potential.”

McLean-Orsborn said Pacific transnationals proudly embracing their heritage, even without having visited their homelands, marks a major shift.

“No longer are we needing to assimilate and trying to blend in or to disguise our Pacific-ness – we can be loud and proud with our language, flags and sirens (although some respect to hours of when this is appropriate would be appreciated),” she said.

She added that diaspora athletes choosing to represent their cultural homelands shows meaningful ongoing connections and highlights issues around transparency and equity in island sports systems.

Sports arenas, she said, have become “a place of solidarity, joy and love – a pseudo village” for Pacific communities.

“While this has been beautiful to witness, I do hope that we turn our gaze to the political arena and we explore the ways that we can engage in that space.”