This year's theme for Sāmoa Language Week is 'Tautua I le alofa, manuia le lumana'i' (serve in love for a blessed future).

It highlights the practice of 'tautua' (service) and aligns with the Pacific Language Weeks' broader theme of 'Sustainability.'

Professor Jemaima Tiatia-Siau, the Pro Vice Chancellor (Pacific), is actively engaging in her journey with gagana Sāmoa.

En route to Antigua & Barbuda for a UN panel discussion on Pacific health crisis from 27th to 30th May, she addressed the challenges of preserving gagana Sāmoa.

"I'm on the gagana Sāmoa journey, and it comes down to - practise, practise, practise. Family and friends have been amazing," she said.

"I'll always stuff up, so yes, it does take some courage. But it is such a beautiful language."

In Niu Sila (Aotearoa/New Zealand), Gagana Sāmoa ranks as the third most spoken language after te reo Māori and English.

Undergrad student Cyrus Meredith Melhuish, majoring in Politics and Asian studies, is proud of his Sāmoan heritage but acknowledges that living in Aotearoa has brought inherent challenges when it comes to gagana Sāmoa.

"It's such a beautiful language, and it's practice really, we use a lot of Sāmoan terms at home every day," he said.

"Mum uses it a lot when she's telling me off, especially when I'm supposed to be doing my essay and I'm playing a game."

The University of Auckland's Sāmoa Language lecturer, Lemoa Henry Fesuluai, stressed how important it is to understand Sāmoan language.

He recently talked in the media about the language, especially about the problem of anti-blackness.

Mr Fesuluai said that how well someone knows Sāmoan language affects how they translate words, considering different ways of thinking.

He also highlighted how the history behind Sāmoan and English words can greatly differ, emphasising the importance of understanding context.

Additionally, he discussed the indigenous viewpoint, noting that word meanings are influenced by relationships and situational contexts.

"It's about which lens a person is interpreting words from," he said.

The University of Auckland's Waipapa Taumata Rau kicked off Sāmoa Language Week with an 'Ava ceremony in the Quad at the city campus on Monday.

The event is hosted by the University's Sāmoan Students Association, who will organise a series of activities throughout the week to celebrate Sāmoa Language Week.