Queenvere Lafitani Bailey-Pahulu

HEART Change Agent Queenvere Lafitani Bailey-Pahulu describes herself as a ‘free spirit’. Once you get to know her you will agree! Queenvere is a community worker and has contributed in many ways including teaching belly-dancing and art, helping to plan Mana Wahine 2019, and helping out with the local Tongan group. She was born and educated in Tonga, at the age of 19 went to live in Australia where she stayed for 30 years before leaving to come to Auckland NZ with her family 8 years ago. Settling in Tāmaki was a good move, she has a love for the people here and with a large Tongan community it has been a place for her to reconnect with her Tongan culture.

Queenvere became aware of HEART in 2015 through her step-son who is part of HEART. She attended a few HEART gatherings in the community and was interested in the ideas and concepts that were brought up and discussed. She reconnected with HEART a few years later through the Women’s Koru Group. Queenvere describes the Koru space as “the realness, the rawness, everybody comes from different walks of life” and this is what kept her coming back. She acknowledges the seasonal nature of things and is at peace with the Koru Group having a down time at present.

Through Koru Group Queenvere became involved in the planning of the Mana Wahine event in 2019, helping to guide the flow. She enjoyed the event describing the “raw, real, women of all ages, (their) natural beauty”. She also enjoyed watching others operate in HEART, seeing their skills and strengths unfold and how no one or no organisation held the event tightly, she thought this showed the maturity of those involved.

Queenvere says “you can’t describe how you become HEART... HEART starts at home and looking after yourself.” She says communication, time and getting to know each other are important in relationships, and acknowledges that relationships are complex and that it is OK to seek help when you don’t have the answers.

Self-care for Queenvere at the moment is reading aloud verses from the Bible in the Tongan language for her podcast. It is a way for her to connect to her culture as well as the therapeutic qualities of reading alone in a peaceful setting.

Queenvere Lafitani Bailey-Pahulu is a person with many talents and we are lucky to have her in the HEART whānau and in the Tāmaki community.

Mālo ‘aupito Queenvere