and caring for them. For example, Olaga (teacher/leader) referred to the va by describing her leadership as being based on “strong” relationships with colleagues in order to know how and when to approach them: We've built that strong relationship where we do actually understand one another and we understand, when it's a good time to approach that person, when it's a good time not to approach that person. This idea of knowing how and when to approach peers was reiterated by Nuanua (teacher/leader), who spoke about her leadership and the respectful way she engages with certain Pasifika parents, including knowing when to not “overstep the mark”: [With] our Pasifika families here … we talk and laugh, but there's always a respectful way, I can never overstep the mark. If I see a faife'au [church minister] or a faletua [church minister’s wife] coming to drop off a grandchild, we talk and we laugh, but the way I speak to them and the way they speak, there's always a line … a respectful way. This connection between leadership and the va also arose during our talanoa with Lupe, one of the directors. Lupe spoke about two values that underpin her mafutaga (relationships) with staff. For her, prioritising the values of fa’aaloalo (respect) and deep listening (fa’alogo) had enabled her to develop her understanding of others in order to “connect” relationally with them: Fa'aaloalo (respect) and also just being, listening to them, to hear their journey, their story to understand where they come from, because if I don't understand their background or what their journey is, I won't be able to connect. These and other comments from participants highlighted a shared value of mafutaga and the va as underpinning their enactment of leadership in ECE. The concept of va describes sacred relations or the space between those-in-relationship. More broadly, it offers guidance for social engagement. Variations of the va are commonly found in Pacific Island countries including Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, and NZ (Thaman, 2008). The Samoan concept of the va, or the social and spiritual relations between individuals, can help us to understand how Samoans relate to and with one another (Tuagalu, 2008). Wendt (1996) describes the va as such: Va is the space between, the betweenness, not empty space, not space that separates but space that relates, that holds separate entities and things together in the Unity-that-is-All, the space that is context, giving meaning to things. The meanings change as the relationships/the contexts change. (n.p) Wendt’s (1996) words highlight that the concept of va is important, yet complex. Similarly, Anae (2013) suggests that respecting the va requires negotiation, understanding, and work. This complexity was evident in some of our participants’ comments, which revealed there is more to relationships than just interactions, and that in ECE, relationships with Pasifika and other colleagues, parents, and children should never be taken for granted. Another aspect of the va that our participants referred to was looking after the va or teu le va. For example, Lagi (senior leader) explained that leadership for her is “all about le va” and involves an “acknowledgement of past and present, seen and unseen, and before and after.” She added that if the va is trampled on, or broken in the relationship, then fixing this could be done by going back to traditional ways. One starting point for this was to ask for forgiveness from those in the relationship: “fa'amolemole fa'amāgalo mai a'u (please forgive me)”, a cultural practice that Lagi realised she hardly hears in the workplace today. The idea of teu le va places the way relationships are looked after at the centre of everything (Anae, 2013). Teu le va also suggests a focus on relationships that invoke a commitment to and compassion for the other; interactions that are reciprocal and mutually empowering. Wendt (1996) explains that teu le va or looking after the space is critically important in communal cultures, such as Samoa, who value group and unity more than individualistic behaviours. From this collective view, individuals are seen in terms of the group. The need to teu le va was apparent in participants’ comments about their mafutaga (relationships) with others, such as when Olaga spoke about knowing when it is a “good time” to approach peers, when Nuanua referred to not overstepping “the mark” with some parents, and when Lupe reiterated the need to respect and listen to staff in order to understand and connect. Upholding a commitment to teu le va is important to Samoan and other Pasifika peoples (Anae, 2013). Doing so is believed to promote harmony and peace within the relationships (Seiuli, 2016). It also reveals what guides Samoan peoples’ ways of being with one another, highlighting that culture is fundamental to and informs the way they live, interact, and make sense of their work (Anae, 2013). Anae warns, however, that to not look after relationships with others, as participant Lagi highlighted, is to put those relationships at risk of not evolving, thereby countering the aim for relationships with Pasifika to lead to transformative change. Altogether, these ideas foreground mafutaga and teu le va (or their equivalent for other Pasifika communities) as important considerations for leadership in Pasifika-led settings. Leadership as tautua (service) The importance of serving others before you can become a leader was another strong theme in the study. When asked about leadership, many participants responded with the cultural proverb “O le ala i le pule o le tautua” (the pathway to leadership is through service). This was not surprising as this proverb is widely understood by Samoan peoples as an important life value and guidance regarding the value of service within families (Fa’aea & Enari, 2021). In our study, serving one’s family, the centre, community, church and God, were expressed as relational and spiritual duties of the Samoan self. Masina (teacher/leader) expressed her understanding of tautua as a prerequisite to becoming a leader: You have to serve before you can become a leader, so, o le ala i le pule o le tautua so tautua first then you'll become a leader. That is my motto and I believe that's what my dad always said to me, […], he always acknowledged and encouraged me, ia sau fai fe'au ma auauna e tāua le auauna [come and do the chores and serve, it's important to serve]. Masina’s belief of leadership as serving others beyond herself had stemmed from her upbringing and the nurturing guidance from her father. Masina had also embraced her father’s teachings to form a strong underpinning of her current leadership December 2021 { 20 }
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