Masunu Tuisila arrived in New Zealand as a youth, making the journey by air with his grandmother & sister via American Samoa & Fiji before arriving in Auckland during Christmas of 1972.

Samoan

"O taimi o Dawn Raids e lē o se vaega fiafia o lo'u soifuaga."​

Na taunu'u mai Masunu Tuisila i Niu Sila a o faato'ā 17 tausaga lona talavou. Ma malaga mai i luga o le ea ma le tinā o lona tinā ma lona tuafafine ma sa ui mai i Amerika Samoa, faato'ā taumnu'u ai lea i le aso Kerimasi i le 1972 Sa faatumulia Masunu i le fiafia ma na lē mafai ona faatali lona fia 'ai sukalati ma 'apu.

Sa a'oga Masunu i le Kolisi o Samoa ae le'i tu'ua Samoa, e faaauau ana a'oga i le Auckland Grammar i Aukilani. Sau lau ia o le "coconut" i le a'oga ma na te le'i iloaina o se 'upu faifai i lenā taimi. Ina ua ma'ea ana a'oga i le Kolisi, sa manana'o lona āiga e alu e a'oga i le Iunivestē mo se tusi pasi faa-loia ae peita'i sa talia o ia e galue faaleleo i le Matāgaluega o Leleo i Niu Sila ma sa galue ai i le taimi o Dawn Raids. O se vaega lea o lona soifuaga e le'i fiafia i ai.

Na toe fo'i i Samoa i le 1981 ma faaipoipo ai. Ona malaga lea ma lona to'alua i Amerika ma nonofo ai mo le 10 tausaga ae le'i toe fo'i i Samoa.

Sa galue Masunu mo le Iuni Lakapi a Samoa. Sa avea fo'i ma pule (team manager) o le 'au lakapi a Samoa mo se vaitaimi ma sa filifilia fo'i e lafalī mo lakapi faavāomālō.

Na toe fo'i mai Masunu i Niu Sila i le 2005 ma o lo o galue i se kamupanī vaa. O lo o ia fiafia e mafuta ma lona aiga i Ueligitone, le fanau ma fanau a lana fanau o loo nonofo latalata ane.

Na faae'e suafa matai o Vaafusu'aga ma Tupuola iā Masunu.

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English

"The Dawn Raids was not an enjoyable part of my life."

Masunu Tuisila arrived in New Zealand as a youth, only 17 years of age. He made the journey by air, flying with his grandmother and sister from Samoa to American Samoa, and then to Suva, Fiji, before arriving in Auckland, during Christmas of 1972. He said he was excited to come to New Zealand, and couldn't wait to eat chocolate, and also apples.

Masunu had studied at Samoa College before leaving the Islands and continued his studies at Auckland Grammar. He said he was called a coconut at college and didn't realise it was an insult at the time. His family wanted him to go to university after college to be lawyer but instead he was accepted into the New Zealand Police.

He served as an officer during the difficult Dawn Raid period, which he described as "not an enjoyable part of my life."…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details