Arthur joins Order of Merit2 min read

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Longstanding local politician, Arthur Anae, has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King’s Birthday Honours.

A former National List MP and Councillor for Manukau, including Māngere Bridge, in both the old Manukau City Council and the Auckland Council, Arthur has been a tireless worker for the Pasifika community.

The son of Samoan immigrants who arrived in New Zealand in the 1950s to create better lives and opportunities for their children, Arthur has always felt a responsibility to give back – not just to his family, but the wider community. One of his proudest efforts was fighting to regain the New Zealand citizenship rights of older Samoans, after they were removed by the Muldoon administration.

Arthur began his career with Air New Zealand in the 1960s and remained there for 11 years before being seconded to Polynesian Airlines to help establish the airline. He took a leave of absence from Air New Zealand to help rescue Polynesian Airlines in the late ‘70s.

During these years, he saw first-hand the issues that Pasifika people faced when travelling to New Zealand and elsewhere. Trying to understand the regulations of nations when you are unfamiliar with the language can be a significant barrier. This led him to set up a travel agency in the 1980s, specialising in helping Pasifika people travel internationally.

“Just being able to have someone explaining things like visa requirements in your own language can make a huge difference,” he says.

Elected to Parliament in 1996, he served two terms before taking the role as city councillor from 2004 to 2016, and he also spent 12 years on the local health board. Throughout that time, he was an advocate for Polynesian issues and rights. At age 80, he shows no signs of slowing down. “I’ll never leave my people,” he says.

Arthur continues to work to improve access to New Zealand for Pasifika nations, and is pushing for easier visa access for the Pacific. “It is ridiculous that it’s easier for people from the rest of the world, like China, to get a visa to travel to New Zealand, than it is for Pasifika people.”