From the Frontline: Faausu Haiaga

Published: August 19, 2026

In this week’s From the Frontline video, we interview Faausu Haiaga, a proud social worker in the care team at Manurewa.

From the Frontline is a new series to celebrate our frontline workers across the motu who go above and beyond every day for tamariki and rangatahi.

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Watch the video

Transcript

From the Frontline: Faausu Haiaga - Transcript 
Faausu Haiaga:

Talofa lava. Fakaalofa lahi atu.

Ko e higoa haaku ko Faausu Haiaga. I was born in Samoa and came to Aotearoa on my fifth birthday. I've lived in Māngere, or as they call it, the hood.

I'm known as "Soldier". I got that nickname because I was always on the go. I never really had time to sit down and do admin work. I was often given the more complex cases, mostly involving teenagers who were connected to ram raids, and the majority of them were young boys. The name has stuck with me ever since.

I'm one of those social workers who hates being stuck behind a desk. The real work happens out in the community, building meaningful relationships with the families you work with. I'm here in the community on weekends as well. Sometimes I've taken families out op-shopping. That's where the real connections are made.

When people hear "South Auckland", the first thing they often think is unemployment, troublemakers, and all those stereotypes. But I'm proud of where I come from. Working in South Auckland and being part of the community means you live it, you breathe it, and you have the passion to be part of something bigger than yourself.

To do this job, you need passion, resilience, and perseverance. Let's just say Oranga Tamariki is not for the faint-hearted. 
Within my whānau, there's me, my partner, and eight siblings. We lost one of my siblings to suicide, and that's part of the reason I chose to become a social worker.

Family keeps me grounded. It means everything. So much of our work is centred around whānau, and that's exactly how much my family means to me. They remind me where I come from and who I am. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for my family.
 

From Samoa to South Auckland

For South Auckland social worker Faausu Haiaga, the qualities that make a great social worker aren't things you can learn from a textbook alone.

Born in Samoa and raised in South Auckland from the age of 5, Faausu brings both professional experience and personal understanding to her role at Oranga Tamariki.

"I've lived in Māngere, as they call it, 'the hood'. When people ask where are you from, one thing about me is that I'm proud to say I'm from 'the hood', South Auckland."

She says her connection to her community plays a major role in shaping her practice, and that she'll often see families she works with outside of her working environment.

Working in South Auckland, being part of the community, you live it, you breathe it. And you have the passion to be part of a community.

Faausu Haiaga

Today, she works in the Care team, which comes after several years in Intake and Intervention. The Care team supports tamariki, rangatahi and whānau through some of the most challenging times in their lives.

A community mindset

Ask her what social work is really about, and the answer is simple.

"Real social work is all about being out there with the families that we work with," says Faausa.

That connection helps build trust and understanding, something she believes is essential for anyone considering a career in social work.

She credits the skillset she’s built to her community mindset. This helps achieve great outcomes in her practice.

She's well known for what she can achieve. Her nickname, gifted to her by a former supervisor, is Soldier.

"I got that name because I was always on the go. Never sitting down, always out there doing it."

Throughout her career, she has often worked with complex cases, including many of the young people involved in the increase in ram-raids.

Whānau matters

Within her close-knit family of 8 siblings, Fauusu experienced a heartbreaking loss that would influence her career path.

"I lost one of my siblings to suicide. He was part of the reason why I chose to become a social worker."

She says that experience helped shape her desire to support others and was a large part of her journey into this profession.

"Family keeps me grounded. It means everything."

A lot of social work focuses on strengthening whānau connections. Faausu understands that value deeply in her own life.

My family, they remind me of where I come from, who I am. I wouldn't be here today without them.

Faausu Haiaga

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