The Pacific profiles series shines a light on Pacific people in Aotearoa doing interesting and important work in their communities, as nominated by members of the public. Today, Siaosi (George) Lavelua. 

All photos by Geoffery Matautia.

Siaosi (George) Lavelua is a 19-year-old Tongan university student with an entrepreneurial spirit. When he’s not studying, you’ll find him most weeknights with his family selling their homemade ‘otai at one of Auckland’s night markets. George spoke to me about the importance of getting Tongan culture into the mainstream, his ambitions to see ‘otai sold in stores, and his passion for choral singing.

Malo e lelei, George. Could you tell me a little about who you are and where you’re from?

My name is Siaosi (George) Lavelua. I’m Tongan (from the village of Kolomatu’a), the youngest of five children, and I was born and raised in Onehunga, Auckland. I graduated from Auckland Boys Grammar last year and now I’m at the University of Auckland studying for a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce. I also help my family sell our ‘otai. For 10 years we’ve run Lav’s otai, Tāmaki Makaurau’s longest-serving ‘otai business. 

For those who don’t know, could you explain what ‘otai is?

‘Otai is a traditional Tongan beverage made with blended fresh fruit (usually watermelon, mango, pineapple and orange) with grated coconut. It can be made dairy-free or some people like to add milk. We sell both. 

Has ‘otai always been a staple drink in your family?

I’ve been having ‘otai for as long as I can remember. It was always at our family gatherings and my parents would make it for us in summer as a refreshing drink. So yeah, it’s always been around us since I was a kid. 

Lav’s ‘otai is the longest-running ‘otai business in Tāmaki Makaurau, how and why did it begin?

Our family business started around 2014. The name is taken from our surname – Lavelua. Like most Pacific Island families, we always sought out different ways to provide for each other. My parents (Tukala and Taeao Lavelua) and my older siblings were always making ‘otai for everyone so one day they thought, why not just go ahead and sell it? 

Where is Lav’s ‘otai sold?

Right now we sell at all the night markets six days a week – Monday through Saturday. My family does this full-time, although we also juggle work, university and school. We sell the traditional ‘otai and create different flavours with watermelon, pineapple, mango and other fruits.

We source all our ingredients locally and try to get the best fruit we can. It can be hard when the fruits aren’t in season but we know all the best spots. We also sometimes sell at events like Polyfest, Pasifika Festival and sports games at Eden Park. We’d love to make it into stores one day. 

What does a typical market day look like?

During the day, we’re making the ‘otai fresh in our registered kitchen. We get to the market around 3pm to set up and start selling from 4pm until midnight. When I was younger, I’d often come straight after school and get to selling. In high school, I sometimes wished I could go out with my friends, but I’m grateful my parents made a big push for balance so I still got to do extracurricular activities like choir and basketball.

My eldest siblings are focussed on the making and the packaging whereas me and my sister are in charge of marketing and our social media accounts. But on any given day we are all helping each other out and taking shifts at the stall. Having a social media platform has helped us a lot but honestly, most of our customers come to us via word of mouth. 

So Sunday is your day off. What do you get up to?

Sleep if I can [laughs]. But we’re part of the Latter Day Saints Church so Sunday is always for church and family.  

You keep busy! What’s it like working with family? Do you enjoy it?

Yeah! It’s a family business and it’s always fun to be working together. I love seeing the reaction on people’s faces when they try ‘otai for the first time. We get people from all different backgrounds and all walks of life. It’s definitely a popular drink, and not just with Pacific Island customers, either. We have many Asian and Pākehā people who come through who love to try it.

It’s cool to take a traditional Tongan beverage to a mainstream market. I also love the social aspect of meeting different people. Last year we had a stall at Polyfest and I got to meet the Prime Minister [then Christopher Hipkins] who tried our ‘otai. I think it was his first time trying it and he seemed to really like it. I’m so proud of what my parents have done and their confidence to start a business and put it out in the world. As Christians, we believe God is at the centre of all our success and made all of this possible.  

Switching topics for a moment, you’ve been away from the stall for a few weeks because you’ve been on a trip through China. What was that for?

I represent New Zealand in the Secondary School Choral Choir. We just got back from China where we toured Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai. It was a great experience. I’ve been in choirs since school but I always thought choral singing was a predominantly pālagi space. I rarely saw any brown faces. But now I’m the leader of the group and I’ve helped to incorporate Pasifika and Māori music and culture. For example, performing the haka when we go away and Samoan pese [songs and hymns]. 

You’re in your first year of university studying for a bachelor of commerce, do you have any aspirations to start your own business one day?

I’d love to get into business. I’d love to get into something creative like producing music, painting or clothing or something. I don’t know yet but one thing my parents taught us was to always be our own boss. 

And what about your family’s ambitions with Lav’s ‘otai?

We hope to take the business to the overseas community and see it go mainstream. I’d love to see it sold in all the shops like a regular, kiwi beverage. You know, you can just pop out and get some ‘otai. I believe my family plays a role in our Pasifika community in helping get our people and culture into those spaces. When we put our ‘otai out into the world we hope it might inspire other families to start their own businesses too.

This is Public Interest Journalism funded by NZ On Air.