Help name our new Pasifika Community Centre

Thank you to everyone who suggested a name. We’ll review the suggestions and work through the selection process. We’ll share an update once a name has been chosen.

In September, we invited you to help shape the identity of the new Pasifika Community Centre – currently under construction and due to be completed later this year. 

The upgraded centre will be a place where Pasifika and wider communities can gather, connect, celebrate culture, share knowledge, support one another, and strengthen community wellbeing. It will be a welcoming space that reflects the diversity, strengths, values, and aspirations of Pasifika peoples. 

We sought community suggestions for a name that: 

• promotes belonging, connection, and community
• recognises the shared vision and aspirations for Tagata Pasifika
• recognises and acknowledges the special relationship Pasifika communities share with Mana Whenua
• recognises and acknowledges Pasifika peoples, cultures, values and identities
• reflects the journey, experiences, and aspirations of Pasifika communities across past, present and future generations
• is meaningful, easy to remember, and suitable for future generations. 

Background 

The current facility is known as the Pasifika Community Centre. The name reflects:

• Pasifika: People of the Pacific, including the diverse nations of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia, connected through shared histories, values, and relationships.
• Community: The collective strength of people, families, villages, and communities working together towards shared goals and aspirations.
• Centre: A place at the heart of the community that connects, enriches, and empowers Pasifika people. For many, it is a "home away from home". 

What happens next? 

All naming suggestions received will be considered by the project group, Rangitāne o Manawatū, and Palmerston North City Council. 

Suggestions will be reviewed alongside community feedback and assessed in accordance with Palmerston North City Council naming guidelines and other relevant protocols.  

Every suggestion will contribute to the naming process and help shape the identity of this important community space.